Shirley Chung was just a year old when she was taken in by a US family back in 1966.
Born in the Korean peninsula, her birth father served of the US armed forces, who went back soon after Shirley was born.
"He left us behind, is the nicest way I can put it," says Shirley, now 61.
After around a year, Shirley was welcomed into the home of a American pair, who took her back to Texas.
Growing Up American
Shirley grew up experiencing a lifestyle comparable with that of many young Americans.
"I lived and breathed and found mischief like many teenage Americans of the 80s. I'm a child of the 80s," Shirley recalls.
She became a mother, got married and became a music instructor.
Her life progressed for many years with no reason to doubt her American identity.
But then in 2012, her world came crashing down.
Citizenship Crisis
She misplaced her government identification and required a new one.
However when she went to her government agency, Shirley was told she needed to prove her legal standing in the country.
"I experienced a little mental breakdown upon discovering I wasn't a citizen," she says.
Widespread Problem
Shirley is not alone. Approximations of how many US adopted individuals are without citizenship vary between 18,000 to 75,000.
Dozens adoptees have been removed to their countries of birth in recent years, according to adoptee rights organizations.
Additional Account
A different individual, preferring to remain unnamed for concern about drawing notice of authorities, was taken in by an American couple from Iran in 1973 when she was two years old.
"I settled into my existence, consistently believing that I was an American citizen. That's what I was told. I continue to feel that today," she states.
Legal Background
For decades, intercountry adoptions approved by courts and government agencies did not automatically guarantee US citizenship.
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 created progress in addressing this issue, granting automatic citizenship to children adopted from abroad.
Present Concerns
Those fears for adoptees and their families have risen even further since shifts in administration.
Advocacy organizations say they have been overwhelmed by requests for help and certain individuals have gone into hiding.
"When the election results came in, it started to really cascade with pleas for assistance," said a legal professional working with adoption law.
Stateless Feeling
"Ultimately, they don't care about your personal history. They're not interested that you're legally here and it's merely documentation issues," she said.
"I always tell people that one document of paper has fundamentally damaged my life," she said.
"As far as I'm concerned right now, I feel without a country."
Potential Solution
Although these individuals being in legal uncertainty for many years, legal experts believe it is just a case of legislative action that should gain bipartisan support from across the political spectrum.
"It should be an uncomplicated solution: children through adoption should be equal to their natural brothers and sisters of guardians who were American nationals at the time of birth," said an attorney.
Last Appeal
The adoptee hopes she could meet with national leaders into a room, so she and similar individuals could share their experiences.
"I would request to please have some compassion. We're not illegal aliens," she said.
"We were placed on planes as infants and young children. Just please hear our accounts and honor with the promise that the United States made to every of the children that got on those planes: US nationality."
