For decades, many Korean-born adoptees in the United States have faced a heartbreaking reality: living without U.S. citizenship, leaving them vulnerable to deportation. This issue, often hidden from public view, has recently gained traction as a Korean American advocacy group has made a direct appeal to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for help. Their plea highlights a systemic failure that has left thousands of adult adoptees in a legal and social limbo.

The Problem: A Legal Loophole with Dire Consequences

The root of the issue lies in a legal oversight that has persisted for decades. While the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 automatically granted U.S. citizenship to adoptees who were under 18 at the time of its enactment, it failed to provide retroactive protection for those who were already adults. This left an estimated tens of thousands of individuals, many of whom were brought to the U.S. as children, without the legal status they believed they had.

Many adoptive parents, adoption agencies, and even the adoptees themselves mistakenly believed that citizenship was automatically conferred upon adoption. They discovered this wasn't the case only when a legal issue arose, such as a minor criminal offense, which can trigger deportation proceedings for non-citizens. The consequences have been devastating, with some adoptees being deported to a country they have no memory of, and in some tragic cases, leading to suicide.

A Broader Movement for Justice

The appeal to President Lee is part of a larger, ongoing movement to address this injustice. Advocacy groups like the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) have been at the forefront, advocating for federal legislation to fix the loophole. The Adoptee Citizenship Act, a bill that would grant retroactive citizenship to all intercountry adoptees, has been introduced in Congress multiple times but has yet to be passed.

This legal battle has also prompted action in South Korea. The country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission has launched investigations into past adoption practices, uncovering evidence of fraud and a system that prioritized economic and political gains over the welfare of the children. A South Korean court even ordered a major adoption agency, Holt Children’s Services, to pay damages to a deported adoptee, acknowledging its failure to ensure his citizenship.

The appeal to South Korea's president is a clear signal that the fight is far from over. It emphasizes that this is not just a U.S. immigration issue, but a shared responsibility between both countries to right a historical wrong and protect the rights of those caught in a legal limbo.