MN HF3863

Minnesota legislature supports automatic citizenship for all qualifying children adopted by United States citizen parents, regardless of when the adoption was finalized.

Over 350,000 children have been adopted from abroad by U.S. citizen parents since World War II, but the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 excluded adoptees over age 18 and those who entered on nonimmigration visas, leaving thousands without citizenship and subject to deportation.

An estimated 18,000 Korean-American adoptees and adoptees from 18 other countries remain without U.S. citizenship despite being legally adopted and raised in America.

Minnesota condemns deportations of adopted individuals and calls for legislation providing automatic citizenship to adult adoptees whose parents did not complete naturalization during their childhood.

Minnesota Secretary of State directed to transmit copies of this memorial to the President, Congress, U.S. Senate leadership, U.S. House leadership, and Minnesota's congressional delegation.