~THREAD~
Over the last 10 months, I have obsessively tracked down and spoken to 25+ foreign-born adoptees who were brought as children to the US by American citizens but who remain without citizenship, in some cases well into their 40s and 50s. There are more than 40,000 of them.
Over the last 10 months, I have obsessively tracked down and spoken to 25+ foreign-born adoptees who were brought as children to the US by American citizens but who remain without citizenship, in some cases well into their 40s and 50s. There are more than 40,000 of them.
And that number could grow to 64,000 by 2033. These individuals are a forgotten group to the millions of Americans. They were left out of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 - due to GOP concerns - which provided automatic citizenship to adoptees under 18 years of age at the time.
Some of these adoptees no longer reside in the United States, unable to return because of their legal status. Others live with the constant fear of deportation. The majority live as permanent residents, a status within American immigration law that can be rescinded.
A number of them refused to speak to me on the record for fear of repercussions, professional or otherwise, to their personal well-being. Mauricio Cappelli and several other adoptees did agree to speak. For months, advocates have descended on Capitol Hill to lobby members to help
There is a new Adoptee Citizenship Act, a bill introduced this spring in both houses of Congress that would ensure that all intercountry adoptees left out of the Child Citizenship Act would be granted automatic citizenship.
It is the last hope for this vulnerable population.
It is the last hope for this vulnerable population.
My investigation for @theintercept profiles the stories of two undocumented adoptees: Mauricio Cappelli and Sarah, an undocumented adoptee living in California who requested that The Intercept not use her real name.
Cappelli’s & Sara’s stories differ in their specifics but both are ultimately cases of mishaps. There was no safety net to catch the mistakes. There was no one to turn to when they found out later in life that they were not U.S. citizens.
It was a failure at every level of gov.
It was a failure at every level of gov.
I interviewed Cappelli in March at an ICE detention center in South Texas just days before he was deported back to Costa Rica, the country of his birth. He is essentially trapped in a country he's never known.
And his story isn't unique to the plight of undocumented adoptees.
And his story isn't unique to the plight of undocumented adoptees.
His, along with the stories of more than +25 others I spoke to, portrayed widespread incompetence & mismanagement within a number of agencies at federal & state level, particularly at the State Department and USCIS.
My piece for @theintercept: interc.pt/2nvWcIU
My piece for @theintercept: interc.pt/2nvWcIU
Many thanks to my superb editor @Ali_Gharib and to ace fact-checking by @mariamaelba. And a shoutout to @MazMHussain for helping me bring this story to @theintercept. Thrilled I published at a news org that seeks to hold those in power to account to expose corruption & injustice.
And, finally, a sincere and heartfelt thank you to @AdopteeRC, Mauricio Cappelli, Sara and the dozens of adoptees who shared their stories with me in the hope that Congress will act on their behalf and, as one told me, "that people will finally recognize us as fellow Americans."
