One adoptee was just a year old when she was taken in by a US family back in 1966.
Hailing from the Korean peninsula, her biological father served of the American military, who returned home shortly after Shirley was born.
"He abandoned us, is the nicest way I can put it," states Shirley, now 61.
After around a year, Shirley was adopted by a American pair, who took her back to the Lone Star State.
Growing Up American
She was raised living a life comparable with that of many American youths.
"I moved and breathed and got in trouble similar to other American teenagers of the 80s. I'm a child of the 80s," Shirley recalls.
Shirley had children, got married and worked as a music instructor.
Her life progressed for many years with no reason to doubt her American identity.
However in 2012, her world came crashing down.
Citizenship Crisis
She misplaced her Social Security card and required a new one.
But when she visited her government agency, Shirley was told she had to demonstrate her status in the country.
"I had an emotional collapse upon discovering I wasn't a citizen," she explains.
Widespread Problem
This situation isn't unique. Estimates of how many US adopted individuals are without citizenship range from 18,000 to 75,000.
Dozens adopted individuals have been removed to their countries of birth in the past decade, as reported by adoptee rights organizations.
Additional Account
A different individual, preferring to remain unnamed for fear of attracting the attention of government officials, was adopted by an US pair from Iran in 1973 when she was two years old.
"I settled into my life, always understanding that I was an American citizen. That was what I learned. I continue to feel that today," she says.
Legal Background
Over many years, intercountry adoptions approved by legal systems did not assure US citizenship.
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 made some headway in addressing this issue, providing immediate citizenship to children adopted from abroad.
Current Fears
Those fears for adopted individuals and their relatives have risen even further following recent political changes.
Advocacy organizations say they have been flooded with assistance inquiries and some adoptees have gone into hiding.
"When the election results came in, it started to really cascade with requests for help," said an attorney working with adoptee cases.
Stateless Feeling
"At the end of the day, they don't care about your personal history. They don't care that your presence is lawful and it's just a paperwork error," she expressed.
"I frequently explain that one document of paper has essentially just ruined my life," she said.
"As far as I'm concerned currently, I feel stateless."
Possible Resolution
Despite adoptees being left in limbo for many years, legal experts believe it is simply a matter of political will that should unite people from across the political spectrum.
"It should be a straightforward fix: children through adoption should be treated the same as their biological siblings of parents who were US citizens at the time of birth," said an attorney.
Last Appeal
The adoptee hopes she could get the US president for a discussion, so she and others like her could share their experiences.
"I would request to please have some compassion. We aren't undocumented immigrants," she said.
"We were placed on planes as infants and young children. Please listen to our story and please follow through with the promise that the United States gave each one of the babies that got on those planes: American citizenship."
