She was an orphan adopted from Iran by a US veteran 50+ years ago and has been raised Christian. Trump wants to deport her back to Iran.

A woman who was adopted from Iran as a toddler by a U.S. Air Force veteran is now facing possible deportation to the country where she was born — despite having lived nearly her entire life in the United States. The case highlights a long-standing gap in immigration law that has left thousands of international adoptees without automatic citizenship.

The woman, whose name has not been disclosed because of her ongoing legal proceedings, recently received a notice from the Department of Homeland Security ordering her to appear before an immigration judge in California for removal proceedings. According to the notice, she is subject to deportation because she overstayed a visa in March 1974 — when she was just 4 years old. She has no criminal record.

Adopted at age 2 after being found in an Iranian orphanage in 1972, she was brought to the U.S. the following year by her adoptive parents. Her father, a decorated Air Force officer who had been a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, and her mother completed her adoption in 1975. However, at that time, adoptive parents were required to take an additional legal step to secure citizenship for children born abroad. For reasons she still does not fully understand, that step was never finalized.

She only discovered the issue decades later when she applied for a passport at age 38 and was informed she had never been naturalized. Since then, she has spent years trying to resolve her status, contacting immigration officials, the State Department, and members of Congress. Her adoptive parents have since died.

The prospect of deportation is especially alarming to her because she is a practicing Christian and fears severe persecution if returned to Iran. She also believes her father’s military service and work as a U.S. government contractor could further endanger her. Iran is widely known for its harsh treatment of converts to Christianity, who are often viewed by authorities as aligned with Western governments and hostile to the regime.

Her case unfolds amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the U.S. increasing its military presence in the Middle East over concerns related to Iran’s nuclear program. The escalating geopolitical climate has deepened her fears, as she worries deportation could amount to a life-threatening sentence.

Although the current administration has emphasized that its deportation efforts target serious criminals, advocates note that individuals with no criminal history have also been caught up in enforcement actions. The only law enforcement encounter she recalls was a minor traffic stop two decades ago. She works in corporate health care, pays taxes, and owns a home in California.

A judge recently postponed her initial hearing and agreed she would not be required to appear in person, easing concerns that she might be detained at the courthouse. Still, the threat of removal remains.

Her situation reflects a broader legal problem affecting certain international adoptees. In 2000, Congress passed the Child Citizenship Act, granting automatic citizenship to many children adopted from overseas. However, the law was not retroactive and applied only to those under 18 at the time it took effect. As a result, adoptees born before February 27, 1983, were excluded, leaving many in legal limbo decades later.

A bipartisan coalition of religious organizations and immigration advocates has lobbied Congress for years to extend protections to older adoptees, but legislative efforts have stalled. Advocates say cases like this one illustrate the human cost of that inaction.

Christian advocacy groups have expressed particular alarm, noting that converts to Christianity in Iran often face arrest, imprisonment under harsh conditions, and, in some cases, death sentences. Organizations that monitor religious persecution report that Iranian prisons are known for severe overcrowding, lack of sanitation, limited access to food and medical care, and abuse — particularly against women.

Supporters argue that deporting a Christian adoptee who was raised entirely in the United States contradicts America’s longstanding claims of defending religious freedom. The woman herself says she struggles to comprehend how what she believes was a paperwork error could result in being sent to a country she left as an orphan and barely remembers.

She keeps a photograph of her father in uniform — medals displayed proudly — as a source of strength. Proud of his military service and sacrifice, she says he believed deeply in the country that gave her a home. Facing removal now, she says she cannot imagine he would accept what is happening.

For her, the legal battle is not only about immigration status but about identity, family legacy, and the country she has always considered her own.

Source: AP NEWS