Bill Text: CA AJR39 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Joint Resolution 39 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Citizenship: internationally adopted children who are now adults.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-09-06 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 203, Statutes of 2018. [AJR39 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AJR39-Chaptered.html

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39

CHAPTER 203

Relative to citizenship.

[ Filed with Secretary of State September 06, 2018. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AJR 39, Choi. Citizenship: internationally adopted children who are now adults.

This measure would urge the President of the United States and the Congress of the United States to enact legislation securing the citizenship of internationally adopted children who are now adults.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 aimed to protect children adopted internationally by United States citizens by granting them citizenship. However, when the act became law, it did not apply to those adopted as children but who were 18 years of age or over when the act passed; and

WHEREAS, As a result, an estimated tens of thousands of legal adoptees who were born before February 27, 1982, and raised in the United States and, in particular, California, are still undocumented and therefore potentially subject to deportation. These adoptees’ parents did not complete necessary processes to provide their adopted children with citizenship, or in many cases, even a green card; and

WHEREAS, Several deportations of individuals who were legally adopted from foreign countries have already taken place, breaking up families and returning the deported individuals to places where they were born, but have no other connections; and

WHEREAS, Adoptees who do not have citizenship have come from countries all over the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Guatemala, El Salvador, India, Ireland, Haiti, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam. There are an estimated 18,000 Korean American adoptees alone who do not have United States citizenship despite having been legally adopted; and

WHEREAS, Two bills that would have granted citizenship to adult adoptees were introduced with bipartisan support in the 114th United States Congress: the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2015 (S. 2275) and the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016 (H.R. 5454). Neither bill was referred out of committee for a congressional vote; and

WHEREAS, The 115th Congress has introduced the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018, which seeks to close a loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 that has prevented internationally adopted children, who are now adults, from receiving United States citizenship despite being raised by American parents; and

WHEREAS, The Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018 will alleviate much of the unnecessary pain suffered by many adopted children who have become victims of unfortunate circumstances by establishing their rightful United States citizenship. The act would grant an adoptee born outside of the United States who was adopted by a United States citizen parent automatic United States citizenship if the adoptee was adopted by a United States citizen parent before reaching the age of 18, was physically present in the United States in the legal custody of a United States citizen parent as a child, never acquired United States citizenship, and resides in the United States on the date of the enactment of the act; and

WHEREAS, Naturalization of adults who were adopted as children and immigrated to America under the promise of finding a permanent home is necessary to ensure that they are not forcibly removed from what has become their home country; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President of the United States and the Congress of the United States to enact legislation securing the citizenship of internationally adopted children who are now adults and to pass the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2018; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President of the United States and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.