Opinion: adoptees in Utah urge senator Lee to support citizenship bill
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Adoptees in Utah are asking Senator Mike Lee to support the Protect Adoptees and American Families (PAAF) Act, which would grant citizenship to international adoptees based on proof of legal adoption.
For years, these adoptees have worked with Congress to address a federal law that denies citizenship to some international adoptees because of their age when the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 took effect.
The PAAF Act would place older adoptees on equal footing with their siblings by requiring only proof of legal adoption, mirroring the process for younger adoptees. These Utah adoptees expressed disappointment with Senator Lee’s introduction of the Citizenship for International Adoptees (CIA) Act, which they say does not offer the same protections.
The CIA Act would require older adoptees to undergo a criminal and moral character review, a requirement their siblings did not face, and offers no guarantee against deportation while applications are pending. The adoptees also raised concerns about the CIA Act’s sponsor, Holt International, citing reports from South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and investigations by the Associated Press and PBS’s “Frontline” that revealed issues with Holt’s adoption practices.
They believe Holt’s involvement compromises the bill’s integrity and are urging Senator Lee to withdraw support for the CIA Act and instead champion the PAAF Act, aligning with Utah’s values of family and permanence.
