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Shirley Chung was just a year old when she was adopted by a American couple during 1966.

Hailing from South Korea, her birth father served of the US armed forces, who returned home soon after Shirley was born.

"He abandoned us, is the kindest phrasing I can put it," states Shirley, currently in her sixties.

After around a year, Shirley was welcomed into the home of a US couple, who brought her to Texas.

Growing Up American

Shirley grew up experiencing a lifestyle comparable with those of most young Americans.

"I lived and breathed and got in trouble similar to other teenage Americans during the eighties. I'm a child of the 80s," Shirley recalls.

Shirley had children, entered matrimony and worked as a piano teacher.

Her life progressed for decades with little cause to question her American identity.

But then in 2012, her life was turned upside down.

Citizenship Crisis

She lost her government identification and needed a replacement.

However when she went to her government agency, Shirley was told she had to demonstrate her status in the country.

"I experienced an emotional collapse upon discovering I wasn't a citizen," she says.

A Common Issue

This situation isn't unique. Approximations of how many American adoptees are without citizenship vary between 18,000 to 75,000.

Dozens adopted individuals have been removed to their nations of origin in recent years, as reported by adoptee rights organizations.

Another Story

Another woman, preferring to remain unnamed for concern about drawing notice of authorities, was adopted by an American couple from Iran in 1973 when she was two years old.

"I adapted to my existence, consistently believing that I was a US national. That was what I learned. I still believe that today," she says.

Legal Background

Over many years, international adoptions authorized through courts and government agencies did not automatically guarantee US citizenship.

The Children's Citizenship Law of 2000 created progress in addressing this issue, granting automatic citizenship to children adopted from abroad.

Present Concerns

Those fears for adoptees and their relatives have risen even further following shifts in administration.

Adoptee rights groups say they have been flooded with requests for help and some adoptees have disappeared from public view.

"Following political outcomes came in, it began increasing significantly with pleas for assistance," noted an attorney specializing in adoptee cases.

Lacking National Identity

"At the end of the day, they don't care about your back story. They're not interested that your presence is lawful 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 right now, I feel without a country."

Potential Solution

Despite adoptees being in legal uncertainty for many years, legal experts believe it is just a case of legislative action that should gain bipartisan support from all political parties.

"It should be a straightforward fix: adopted children should be treated the same as their biological siblings of guardians who were US citizens at the time of birth," said a legal advocate.

Last Appeal

The adoptee hopes she could meet with national leaders 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 stated.

"We were put on planes as infants and young children. Just please hear our accounts and honor with the commitment that the United States made to every of the children that got on those planes: American citizenship."