Posted on 07/25/2018 11:23:45 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
Since 2001, children adopted overseas by American parents automatically become US citizens. Before that, it was up to adoptive parents to take the legal steps to make sure their children became US citizens. But some adoptive children — now well into adulthood — are finding out that their parents never took the steps to make them US citizens.
That's the situation Ella Purkiss finds herself in.
She was adopted from South Korea in 1956 when she was 2.
“My Korean name is Kim Yang Ai,” she says, sitting in her trailer home in Pahrump, Nevada.
Her Korean name is about all she knows of her life in Korea. Purkiss, 61, grew up in the United States, got married, raised kids and worked as an electrician. When her husband died last year, Purkiss tried to collect Social Security benefits. That’s when she found out that she wasn’t an American citizen.
“Apparently my whole life has been a lie,” Purkiss says.
She says her adoptive parents led her to believe that she was a naturalized citizen, “even to the point of telling me how I sat on the judge’s podium, and he had talked to me. They even took pictures after all the supposed swearing in had taken place.”
Purkiss doesn’t know why her adoptive parents lied, and she can’t ask them as they’re no longer living. But over the years, she was able to do things citizens do. She voted. She sat on juries.
“I have passed security clearance to work in nuclear plants [and] Air Force bases. I’ve also passed security clearance after the terrorist attacks in 2001 to work on an Army base where we were building one of the factories they were going to use to help destroy the weapons of mass destruction with,” she says.
(Excerpt) Read more at pri.org ...
What part of "American parents" aren't you getting?
“The woman held security clearance to work on a nuke site, something I doubt YOU have.”
Do you believe that once security clearance is granted to a person, citizen or nor, that the person is forever immune from have the status of their security clearance questioned?
BTW-She voted illegally, she illegally obtained a Social Security Card, and she fraudulently applied for a security clearance. She has admitted to all of that.
“What part of “American parents” aren’t you getting?”
It does not appear that she can provide documentation of a legal adoption.
Perhaps it was an Undocumented adoption.
I haven’t kept up with immigration law, but there was an important caveat when they changed the law in 2000 to provide automatic citizenship to child adoptees.
The parents had to go to the foreign country to adopt the child (at the time, Korea, and perhaps others, would provide a service where the child was air-shipped to the US for an adoption here).
So the basic steps are
US Citizens living in US
Go to a foreign country and adopt a child there
Then return to the US with the child with permanent resident status (the not green “Green Card”
File under the 2000 Act and get a Certificate of Citizenship (I think the court proceeding is still required, but it is pro-forma.)
Any of those elements missing, and other procedures are needed.
Of course, this lady was long before the current law took effect, and LM&C is probably correct as to the court proceeding mentioned in the story.
I believe the background check for gaining maintainence access to a nuke site is a hell of a lot more comprehensive than what the SSA ran on her.
So you’d rather think BOTH the Korean government AND USCIS missed a kidnapping, but the SSA, famous investigative agency that they are (also notorious for denying early benefits on arbitrary pretexts, thus starting an entire legal industry for Americans to obtain benefits they’re due by law), caught this skullduggery?
Furthermore, what sixty year old documentation can YOU lay your hands on without going into the records of the governing agency?
“Furthermore, what sixty year old documentation can YOU lay your hands on without going into the records of the governing agency?”
Family birth, marriage, death, divorce, and adoption records going back well into the 19th century and on three continents.
Congratulations; you’re STILL talking out of your ass.
You’re wasting your time trying to discuss this with someone whose first post on the thread was “Send ICE Agents to capture and deport her.”
And no one in the family has had to falsify any birth or adoption records.
However, you will happy to know that in 2016 Kim Yang Ai was allowed to become an American citizen despite her Undocumented status.
.
>> “I have passed security clearance to work in nuclear plants [and] Air Force bases” <<
How?
You have to state a place and date of birth, among other things. Do they not check any facts before issuing the badges these days?
There’s a bad smell on this one!
.
.
>> “So you’d rather think BOTH the Korean government AND USCIS missed a kidnapping, but the SSA, famous investigative agency that they are (also notorious for denying early benefits on arbitrary pretexts, thus starting an entire legal industry for Americans to obtain benefits they’re due by law), caught this skullduggery?” <<
That is what the evidence shouts.
.
Not much different before 2000, I don’t think. Back in the 50’s, who knows. I think the big change in 2000 was the auto-citizenship upon adoption.
Early-mid 80’s:
Spent 3 weeks in Honduras adopting our son. Adoption was finalized in Honduras and recognized by US. Immigrant visa issue by US Embassy in Honduras. Private Naturalization ceremony by Federal Judge in Houston. Obtained new US Passport based on the Naturalization certificate. Son still uses Honduran Birth Certificate certified by US Embassy, Naturalization certificate and his several-times renewed passport.
Met many Americans in Honduras that were trying this but without the prep work that we did. Some had been there for months and had maxed out their credit cards. Wouldn’t/couldn’t give up the baby after they had him/her in their hands. Instant bond.
Daughter was flown to Honolulu from South Korea. She was delivered to us in the Honolulu airport after clearing immigration. Flew to Hilo for private adoption ceremony (State Judge) and a new Hawaii birth certificate (She still has the original, unlike others who shall remain nameless). Flew back to Honolulu for public Naturalization ceremony and Naturalization certificate. Obtained new passport on the Naturalization certificate. Daughter still has RSK birth certificate but uses Hawaii birth certificate, Naturalization certificate and several-times renewed passport.
That would still require all the steps that you went through. For your Honduras adoption, the new law would have saved you some (but not all) paperwork with INS (or whatever it is called now), but the court proceeding would still be required.
You were wise to get the passport. It's a lot easier than dragging in a pile of paperwork for the driver's license, and job applications, etc. A passport card is even more portable for those things, but you risk running across someone who doesn't know what one is.
And now for a little snark, not aimed at you: A Hawaiian birth certificate? Your daughter could run for president with that.
Agree with all you said. The passports were necessary - we were living and working overseas at the time, which is why we adopted internationally. US adoption agencies we contacted wouldn’t talk to us, since we were living outside their control.
“A Hawaiian birth certificate? Your daughter could run for president with that.”
That gave me a chuckle.
I was going to say something similar, but left it at “(She still has the original, unlike others who shall remain nameless).”
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