A legal loophole in the 2000 Child Citizenship Act did not grant U.S. citizenship to tens of thousands of intercountry adoptees. These adoptees were vulnerable to denial of various benefits such as medical benefits, education assistance, employment, and financial aid. In extreme cases, adoptees faced deportation to their country of origin.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the COMPETES Act with an amendment that closes the adoptee citizenship loophole. This legislation will impact more than 20,000 Korean American adoptees.
To learn more about the COMPETES Act, click the link below.