When my son came, it was a nice bonus that he automatically became a citizen when the adoption was finalized. Though a part of me was sorry that we wouldn’t follow the tradition and stand in the courtroom the way my sister and I did, the larger part of me was relieved that I didn’t have to rush through the process.

When I read this article in the International Examiner, I was shocked. Here is a young man, just a little older than my sister, who faced deportation. The majority of his life had been spent here and they might send him back to Korea because his parents had forgotten to ensure his citizenship.

He is not the first adult adoptee with a criminal record that the government wants to deport back to his birth country. But, Kim’s case once again illustrates the fateful convergence of decisions made and not made by adoptive parents…

I can’t even fathom what that must feel like. This is the only country that I have ever known and I can’t imagine being told that I might have to leave. Of course, I haven’t done anything that would cause anyone to want to throw me out. Admittedly, I have some rather pointed political leaning, but freedom of speech has yet to fail me.

After reading the article, I opened our safe and pulled out my own naturalization paperwork just to make sure it was really there. For the children that arrived after 2001, there is no issue, but for those of us who came before that it is a story that causes us to search our legal paperwork before we go to bed.

If you would like to comment, but not on this site, please e-mail me at adoptkoreablog@adoptionmail.com.