Iran-Born Woman Adopted by U.S. Military Family Faces Possible Deportation Over Citizenship Dispute

Mar 9, 2026

A California woman adopted from Iran as a toddler by a U.S. Air Force family is facing possible deportation after decades of living in the United States, highlighting ongoing legal complications affecting some internationally adopted children.

The woman, now 53, was brought to the United States in the 1970s by her adoptive father, a U.S. Air Force officer and World War II veteran. She has lived most of her life in the country but discovered a problem with her citizenship status while applying for a passport in 2008.

At the time, officials determined that she had never formally obtained U.S. citizenship. Although Congress later passed the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 granting automatic citizenship to many internationally adopted children, the law did not apply retroactively to some adults who had already reached adulthood when it took effect.

As a result, some adoptees brought to the United States decades earlier have found themselves without citizenship despite growing up in American families.

The woman said she has spent years attempting to resolve her immigration status through legal channels. She currently holds identification such as a Social Security number and a Real ID but fears an upcoming court hearing could result in detention or removal from the country by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

If deported, she could be returned to Iran, a country she says she does not remember from childhood and where she has no known relatives. She also told reporters she does not speak Farsi and worries about the risks she might face there after spending her entire life in the United States.

Advocates for international adoptees say cases like hers illustrate gaps in U.S. immigration law that have left some adoptees without clear citizenship status. Lawmakers and advocacy groups have periodically pushed for legislation that would extend citizenship protections to adult adoptees who were excluded from earlier laws.

Her case remains pending as immigration proceedings continue later this month. Legal experts say the outcome could depend on how courts interpret her immigration status and the options available for retroactive naturalization or relief from removal.

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