When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Leviticus 19:33-34)
As an adoptive mom of internationally born children, I am the mom of immigrants. I am the granddaughter and great-grand daughter of immigrants as well. I sit in the middle of a beautiful sandwich of people who come from other places. We live on a piece of land that has been in my husband’s family since 1884. Our attic is full of generations of memories. We share this home with our two little girls, who were stripped of their birth cultural and historical ancestry but are full heirs of their dad’s ancestors who tipped their covered wagon on its side to weather their very first winter on the prairie on this plot of Iowa land.
As a parent of adopted immigrants I bear responsibility to make sure my adopted children’s paperwork is in order. Unfortunately, many adoptive parents grew weary of all of the required papers, stamps, and fees. Once their kids were home, some parents didn’t complete every piece of paper to ensure their kids’ citizenship. Also unfortunate, many adoption agencies do not check and recheck that families have completed the tasks that citizenship require. Though adopted children are definitely not singled out as potential violators of immigration laws, they can be caught up in laws which put them at risk of deportation.
Take care, parents. You are your children’s advocates. If you need assistance, push your adoption agency to help. Feel like you need more help? Contact an immigration lawyer.
