Shirley Chung was just a year old when she was taken in by a US family back in 1966.
Hailing from the Korean peninsula, her birth father was a member of the American military, who returned home shortly after Shirley was born.
"He left us behind, is the kindest phrasing I can express it," says Shirley, currently in her sixties.
After around a year, Shirley was adopted by a US couple, who took her back to the Lone Star State.
An American Upbringing
She was raised living a life similar to those of most American youths.
"I lived and breathed and got in trouble similar to other American teenagers during the eighties. I belong of the 80s," Shirley says.
She became a mother, entered matrimony and became a piano teacher.
Her life progressed for many years with little cause to question her US citizenship.
But then in 2012, her world came crashing down.
Citizenship Crisis
She lost her Social Security card and needed a replacement.
However when she went to her government agency, Shirley was told she had to demonstrate her legal standing in the country.
"I had a little mental breakdown upon discovering I wasn't a citizen," she explains.
A Common Issue
This situation isn't unique. Approximations of how many American adoptees are without citizenship vary between 18,000 to 75,000.
Numerous adoptees have been deported to their nations of origin in the past decade, according to advocacy groups.
Another Story
Another woman, preferring to remain unnamed for fear of attracting the attention of authorities, was adopted by an American couple from Iran in 1973 when she was two years old.
"I settled into my life, consistently believing that I was an American citizen. That's what I was told. I continue to feel that today," she says.
Legal Background
For decades, international adoptions authorized through legal systems did not automatically guarantee US citizenship.
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 made some headway in rectifying this, providing immediate citizenship to international adoptees.
Present Concerns
Those fears for adoptees and their families have risen even further following recent political changes.
Advocacy organizations say they have been overwhelmed by requests for help and certain individuals have gone into hiding.
"Following political outcomes were announced, it started to really cascade with requests for help," noted a legal professional working with adoptee cases.
Stateless Feeling
"Ultimately, they don't care about your personal history. They're not interested that you're legally here and it's just a paperwork error," she said.
"I always tell people that one document of paper has fundamentally damaged my life," she stated.
"From my perspective currently, I feel without a country."
Potential Solution
Although these individuals being in legal uncertainty for decades, attorneys believe it is just a case of political will that should unite people from across the political spectrum.
"It should be a straightforward fix: children through adoption should be equal to their biological siblings of guardians who were US citizens at the moment of their birth," said an attorney.
Final Plea
The adoptee hopes she could get the US president into a room, so she and similar individuals could share their experiences.
"I would ask him to please have some compassion. We aren't undocumented immigrants," she stated.
"We were placed on planes as infants and young children. Just please hear our accounts and please follow through with the promise that America made to every of the children that got on those planes: US nationality."
