The Adoptee Citizenship Act has been making its way through the legislative process since it was introduced to the Senate in late 2015 and then to the House of Representatives in June 2016. We all know that the process can be terribly slow and painstaking. What many don’t know is that while it is winding its way through that process, thousands of international adoptees born before 1983 are left largely unprotected by the Child Citizenship Act (CCA) of 2000. That means that many adult adoptees from Korea, Haiti, India, and many other nations are unable to obtain drivers’ licenses, register to vote, receive financial aid for education and other basic rights that should be afforded to them as citizens. The danger for deportation is very real for many of these adoptees.

This infographic is an easy-to-follow explanation of where the act stands now and how it affects the many adult adoptees caught in the gap between their legal adoption from their country of origin and their citizenship in the United States. Your phone calls and letters to your representatives can make a difference in assuring that they get the full rights and benefits of citizenship.

 

Courtesy of Adoptee Rights Campaign http://adopteerightscampaign.org/

 

For a helpful list of who to call for your legislative region and even a good script to use when you do call, check out the homepage of Adoptee Rights Campaign and click on the “Call Congress” button on the right side of the site. Please join Creating a Family in supporting these adoptees and asking your representatives to act now to pass the Adoptee Citizenship Act, giving “retroactive U.S. Citizenship status to all internationally adopted individuals regardless of when they were adopted.”