Bill Text: NY K00681 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging the New York State Congressional delegation to enact H.R.2731 securing the citizenship of internationally-adopted adult individuals

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-08 - withdrawn [K00681 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-K00681-Introduced.html

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Assembly Resolution No. 681

BY: M. of A. Kim

        URGING the New York State Congressional delegation
        to   enact  H.R.2731  securing  the  citizenship  of
        internationally-adopted adult individuals

  WHEREAS, Since the close of World War II, over 350,000 children have
been adopted from abroad by United States citizen parents; and

  WHEREAS, The Child Citizenship Act of  2000,  passed  by  the  106th
Congress,  aimed  to provide equal treatment under United States law for
adopted  and   biological   children   by   granting   citizenship   for
internationally  born  adoptees;  however, it did not apply to those who
were over the age of 18 when the Act became law; and

  WHEREAS, Tens of  thousands  of  legally  adopted  individuals  born
before  February  27,  1983,  and raised in the United States or did not
enter on an "orphan visa" do not  have  United  States  citizenship  and
therefore  are  potentially  subject  to  deportation;  these  adoptees'
parents did not  complete  the  necessary  processes  to  provide  their
adopted  children with citizenship or, in many cases, even a green card;
and

  WHEREAS,  The  deportation  of  legally  adopted   individuals   has
occurred, breaking up families and returning these individuals to places
where  they  were  born  but  do  not speak the language, understand the
culture, or have any known family members; and

  WHEREAS, The individuals who do not have  citizenship  were  adopted
from  various  countries  including:  Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Germany, Guatemala, El  Salvador,  India,  Ireland,  Haiti,  Iran,
Japan,  Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam; there
are an estimated 18,000 Korean American adoptees alone who do  not  have
United States citizenship despite having been legally adopted; and

  WHEREAS, Bills that would have granted citizenship to adult adoptees
were  introduced  with  bipartisan  support  in both the 114th and 115th
Congresses; none of the bills were  referred  out  of  committee  for  a
Congressional vote; and

  WHEREAS, These bills sought to amend the Immigration and Nationality
Act to grant automatic citizenship to all qualifying children adopted by
a  U.S.  citizen parent regardless of the date on which the adoption was
finalized or the entrance visa; and

  WHEREAS, Citizenship would be granted  to  any  individual  who  was
adopted  by  a U.S. citizen before age 18, was physically present in the
United States in the citizen parent's legal custody pursuant  to  lawful
admission  before  the  individual  reached  age  18,  never  previously
acquired U.S. citizenship, and  was  lawfully  residing  in  the  United
States,  while  also  giving  adoptees who had already been deported the
opportunity to return to the United States; and

  WHEREAS, Biological children of U.S. citizen parents are not subject
to deportation when they commit a crime, and children  adopted  by  U.S.

citizen  parents  should  have the same rights as biological children of
U.S. citizens; it is therefore unfair  discrimination  for  the  adopted
child of U.S. citizen parents to be subject to deportation; and

  WHEREAS, This Legislation is supported by several organizations such
as:  Korean American Immigration Heritage Foundation and Korean American
Public  Action Committee New York, Minsun Kim, President; Also-Known-As,
Michael  Mullen,  President;  Adoptee  Rights  Campaign,   Joy   Alessi,
Director; and Adoptees for Justice, Kristopher Larsen, Director; and

  WHEREAS,  Naturalization  of  adult  adoptees  who immigrated to the
United States under the promise of finding a permanent home is necessary
to ensure they are not forcibly removed from what has become their  home
country; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  the  New York State Congressional delegation be and
hereby is respectfully memorialized by this Legislative  Body  to  enact
H.R.2731  securing  the  citizenship  of  internationally-adopted  adult
individuals who are now adults and to pass the Adoptee  Citizenship  Act
of 2019; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  copies  of  this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the President of the Senate of  the  United  States,  the
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and to each member of the
Congress of the United States from the State of New York.