She was an orphan adopted from Iran by a US veteran and became Christian. The Trump administration wants to deport her
A woman adopted from an Iranian orphanage in the 1970s by a US veteran and raised as a Christian faces deportation to Iran. She is one of thousands of international adoptees who never received US citizenship because their adoptive parents failed to complete the naturalization process. The Department of Homeland Security ordered her to appear for removal proceedings, citing an overstayed visa from when she was four years old in 1974. The woman fears deportation to Iran, especially given the current heightened tensions and military buildup between the US and Iran. The Department of Homeland Security has been aware of her legal status issues since at least 2008.
14 days ago
A woman adopted at age 2 from an Iranian orphanage in 1972 by a U.S. Air Force veteran—a WWII POW turned government contractor—grew up Christian in the United States.1
Her parents completed the adoption in 1975 but failed to naturalize her through federal immigration processes, an oversight discovered when she applied for a passport at 38.1
In early February 2026, the Department of Homeland Security ordered her to appear for removal proceedings, citing a visa overstay from March 1974 when she was 4 years old.1
She has no criminal record, works in corporate healthcare, pays taxes, and owns a home in California; her only law enforcement interaction was a traffic stop 20 years ago.1
A judge delayed the March 4 hearing to later in the month and allowed remote appearance to avoid potential detention.1
Deportation to Iran terrifies her, as Christians—especially perceived converts from Islam—face arrest, imprisonment, or death amid discrimination and poor prison conditions.1
Women endure sexual assault and forced marriages; her lack of language skills, unfamiliarity with customs, and father's U.S. military ties heighten suspicions.1
U.S.-Iran tensions, including amassed warships over nuclear talks, amplify dangers.1
Thousands of pre-1983 international adoptees lack citizenship due to gaps between adoption and immigration laws; a 2000 law granted automatic citizenship retroactively only for those under 18 at enactment.1
She has sought help from DHS since 2008, the State Department, senators, and Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), but received no aid; DHS questioned her case's verifiability due to anonymity.1
A bipartisan coalition, including Southern Baptist groups and immigration advocates, pushes for legislation to protect older adoptees, viewing her case as the nightmare they aimed to prevent.1
Hannah Daniel of World Relief called it "un-American and unconscionable," clashing with U.S. religious freedom advocacy.1
Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown warned of Iran's hostility to Christian converts, praying for her safety.1
Investigate Church teachings on naturalization for adopted converts
The Catholic Church does not provide specific teachings on naturalization—a civil process for acquiring citizenship—for individuals who are legally adopted and converting to the faith. Naturalization falls under the competence of civil authorities, and the Church respects the legitimate role of nations in regulating it. However, relevant principles from Catholic social teaching on migration, immigrants' duties, canonical adoption, and the reception of converts offer guidance. These emphasize balancing national sovereignty with human dignity, obedience to just laws, and the integration of newcomers, including converts, into society while upholding their obligations.
Catholic doctrine affirms a nation's right to control its borders and require juridical conditions for immigration, including naturalization, for the common good. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 2241) states that political authorities "may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants’ duties toward their country of adoption." This right is not absolute but must be exercised humanely, recognizing the Gospel call to "welcome the stranger" (Mt 25:35).
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) echoes this in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, advocating comprehensive immigration reform that includes paths to citizenship but insists on due process, worker protections, and addressing root causes of migration. They explicitly reject "open borders," stressing that immigrants must respect the host country's heritage, obey its laws, and share civic burdens. Pope Leo XIV, in his 2025 address in Lebanon, reinforces that while migration enriches, nations should foster ties to homelands and avoid forcing displacement, promoting safe returns where possible. These teachings imply that adopted converts seeking naturalization must meet civil requirements, such as loyalty oaths, without Church-imposed exemptions.
Upon arrival or naturalization, immigrants—including converts—are obliged to integrate gratefully: "Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens." Pope Pius XII urged Catholics to love their country sincerely and assist public undertakings for its prosperity. For converts, this aligns with their reception into the Church, which requires profession of faith and resolve to live accordingly, but does not alter civil duties.
The Church distinguishes forced migrants (e.g., refugees) who may seek protection irregularly from voluntary ones, but all must prioritize lawful pathways. Adopted individuals, often minors brought by families, fall under family reunification priorities, yet face the same civic expectations post-naturalization. No sources suggest adoption or conversion grants special ecclesiastical privileges in civil naturalization; rather, they underscore moral duties to the adopting nation.
The Church recognizes certain civil adoptions, particularly those mirroring Roman law, as creating "legal relationship" (cognatio legalis) with impediments to marriage (e.g., between adopter and adopted). This stems from Pope Nicholas I's endorsement of Roman adoption norms, retained where "substantial elements" persist, as clarified by Benedict XIV and the Holy Office. However, modern codes (e.g., French, German) vary, and U.S./British adoptions—focused on inheritance without full patria potestas—do not typically create canonical impediments.
Crucially, these rulings address sacramental effects, not citizenship. Adoption may facilitate family-based immigration/naturalization civilly, but the Church views it as imitating natural bonds without overriding state sovereignty. For converts who are adopted, canonical norms ensure moral safeguards (e.g., no incestuous marriages), but naturalization remains a secular matter governed by obedience to law.
Converts, heretics or otherwise, are received via inquiry into baptismal validity, profession of faith, and (if needed) conditional baptism or absolution. The Church binds itself to admit all who seek entry, as preaching the Gospel demands. Ecumenical councils like Basel (1434) granted converts privileges akin to native-born citizens in regenerated localities. Yet this is spiritual/civic equality within the Church, not a mandate for civil naturalization.
Pope John Paul II highlighted pastoral care for migrants/refugees, including amnesties for undocumented as Jubilee gestures, but always within justice and law. Adopted converts benefit from this welcome but must fulfill immigrant duties, including naturalization processes.
Sources disagree on adoption's scope (e.g., perfect vs. imperfect under Justinian), resolved by Roman law's "substantial sanctions." No controversy exists on naturalization, as it's absent. Recent USCCB documents (2015, 2023) take precedence on migration. While Amoris Laetitia notes migration's family disruptions, it urges pastoral accompaniment without civil exemptions.
In summary, the Church confidently supports naturalization for adopted converts under just civil laws, urging humane policies while mandating immigrants' loyalty and burdens-sharing. Without direct sources on this niche, general teachings prioritize dignity, law, and integration—no barriers from adoption or conversion, but full civic obedience required. Catholics should advocate balanced reform promoting citizenship paths.