Story perspectives

200,000 Adoptees Risk Deportation Due to Citizenship Gaps

3/23/2026

Summary

Story summary

Tiko’ Rujux-Xicay, a 27-year-old adoptee from Guatemala, highlights that international adoptees in the United States often lack proof of citizenship and face deportation.
Immigration lawyers estimate up to 200,000 adoptees are affected, a situation exacerbated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Since the 1940s, the United States has adopted over 500,000 children from abroad, yet many parents did not complete naturalization, leaving them at risk.

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Story summary

Tiko’ Rujux-Xicay, a 27-year-old adoptee from Guatemala, highlights that international adoptees in the United States often lack proof of citizenship and face deportation.
Immigration lawyers estimate up to 200,000 adoptees are affected, a situation exacerbated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Since the 1940s, the United States has adopted over 500,000 children from abroad, yet many parents did not complete naturalization, leaving them at risk.