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Shirley Chung was only twelve months when she was adopted by a American couple back in 1966.

Hailing from South Korea, her birth father was a member of the American military, who returned home soon after Shirley was born.

"He left us behind, is the nicest way I can express it," says Shirley, currently in her sixties.

After around a year, Shirley was welcomed into the home of a US couple, who took her back to Texas.

Growing Up American

She was raised living a life comparable with those of most American youths.

"I lived and breathed and got in trouble like many teenage Americans during the eighties. I'm a child of the 80s," Shirley says.

Shirley had children, entered matrimony and worked as a piano teacher.

Her life progressed for many years with no reason to question her American identity.

But then in 2012, her life was turned upside down.

Discovering Non-Citizen Status

She misplaced her government identification and required a new one.

However when she went to her local Social Security office, Shirley was informed she needed to prove her status in the country.

"I experienced an emotional collapse upon discovering I wasn't a citizen," she says.

A Common Issue

Shirley is not alone. Approximations of how many American adoptees lack citizenship range from thousands to tens of thousands.

Numerous adoptees have been deported to their countries of birth in recent years, as reported by advocacy groups.

Additional Account

Another woman, preferring to remain unnamed for concern about attracting the attention of government officials, was adopted by an American couple from the Middle East in 1973 when she was just a toddler.

"I adapted to my life, consistently believing that I was a US national. That's what I was told. I still believe that today," she states.

Legal Background

Over many years, international adoptions approved by courts and government agencies did not automatically guarantee US citizenship.

The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 made some headway in rectifying this, granting automatic citizenship to international adoptees.

Present Concerns

Those fears for adopted individuals and their relatives have risen even further since recent political changes.

Advocacy organizations say they have been overwhelmed by requests for help and some adoptees have gone into hiding.

"When the election results came in, it began increasing significantly with requests for help," said an attorney working with adoptee cases.

Stateless Feeling

"At the end of the day, they don't care about your back story. They're not interested that your presence is lawful and it's just a paperwork error," she expressed.

"I always tell people that one document of paper has essentially just ruined my life," she stated.

"From my perspective currently, I feel without a country."

Possible Resolution

Despite adoptees being left in limbo for decades, legal experts believe it is just a case of political will that should unite people from across the political spectrum.

"It should be an uncomplicated solution: adopted children should be treated the same as their biological siblings of parents who were American nationals at the moment of their birth," said an attorney.

Final Plea

Shirley wishes she could get the US president into a room, so she and others like her could share their experiences.

"I would ask him to show understanding. We're not illegal aliens," she stated.

"We were placed on planes as little itty-bitty babies. Just please hear our story and please follow through with the promise that the United States made to every of the babies that got on those planes: American citizenship."