About the Protect Adoptees and American Families (PAAF) Act

Adoptees For Justice’s primary project is to pass inclusive legislation that secures citizenship for all intercountry adoptees.

The Protect Adoptees and American Families (PAAF) Act is a bipartisan, bicameral bill in Congress. This simple, common-sense bill fixes a problem that has existed for far too long. It recognizes and counts those who were legally adopted by U.S. citizens as children raised in the United States. It upholds the fundamental legal principle that attributes the rights of a child naturally born to a U.S. couple to a child adopted by a U.S. couple. Furthermore, it protects the rights of these adoptees against deportation that breaks up families and returns adoptees to places where they do not know the language, culture, or have any known family members or supports.

Previous Legislation

Legislation to secure citizenship for intercountry adoptees has been introduced in the last 5 Congressional sessions. 

118th: (2023-2024): H.R. 8617, S. 4448 
117th (2021-2022): H.R.1593 , S.967 
116th (2019-2020): H.R. 2731, S. 1554 
115th (2017-2018): H.R.5233, S.2522 
114th (2015-2016): H.R.5454 , S.2275 

Related legislation to ensure adoptees gain citizenship: 

The Citizenship for Lawful Adoptees Amendment (S.Amdt.1222 to S.744)  

The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-395, codified at 8 U.S.C. §§ 1431-33) 

Current Status: The Protect Adoptees and American Families (PAAF) Act was reintroduced in the 119th House (H.R. 5492) and Senate (S.2923) in September 2025.

Organizational Support

Over 180 organizations support passage of an inclusive PAAF Act. 

    1. 18 Million Rising

    2. AAJIL (Asian American Innovation + Justice Lab)

    3. Action Fund

    4. Adoptee Rights Campaign (ARC)

    5. Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI)

    6. Adoptees Connect, Inc

    7. Adoptees United Inc

    8. Adoption Partners of Maine (APOM)

    9. Adoption Search Resource Connection

    10. Advancing Justice—Asian Law Caucus (AAAJ-ALC)

    11. African American Ministers in Action

    12. African Communities Together (ACT)

    13. Alianza Americas

    14. Alianza Nacional de Campesinas

    15. Amazin LeThi Foundation

    16. American Adoption Congress (AAC)

    17. American Friends Service Committee

    18. Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)

    19. Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote)

    20. Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO

    21. Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence

    22. Bastard Nation: the Adoptee Rights Organization

    23. Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

    24. Beteseb Felega - Ethiopian Adoption Connection

    25. Black Alliance for Just Immigration

    26. CASA

    27. Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and

    28. CASA in Action (Pennsylvania, Maryland, & Virginia)

    29. Center for Popular Democracy

    30. CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

    31. Child Welfare League of America

    32. Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice

    33. Church World Service

    34. Coalition for Truth and Transparency in Adoption (CTTA)

    35. Coalition on Human Needs

    36. Communities

    37. Community Change Action

    38. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

    39. Connect-A-Kid (CAK)

    40. Counseling at the Green House (CATGH)

    41. Creating a Famil

    42. Dayton Area Korean Association

    43. Detention Watch Network

    44. Dialogical Persona Healing Arts

    45. Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel

    46. Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries

    47. East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU)

    48. Education for Social Justice Foundation

    49. Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)

    50. Faith and Community Empowerment

    51. Faith in Action (FIA)

    52. Families with Children from China New England (FCCNE)

    53. Families with Children from China Greater NY (FCCNY)

    54. Family Coalition for Adoptee Citizenship

    55. Family Equality

    56. Federations of Midwest Korean Americans Association

    57. FIRM Action

    58. First Focus on Children

    59. Food Empowerment Project

    60. FORGE, Inc

    61. Friends of Korea

    62. Hispanic Federation

    63. International Child Search Alliance

    64. International Korean Adoptee Associations

    65. Japanese American Citizens League

    66. Korean American Association of Southwest Michigan

    67. Korean American Coalition

    68. Korean American Coalition of Chicago (KACC)

    69. Korean American Society of Southern Colorado

    70. Korean American Story (KAS)

    71. Korean-American Women’s Association of the USA, Inc

    72. Korean Association of Las Vegas (KALV)

    73. KoRoot

    74. Lights for Liberty

    75. MAASU (Midwest Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Students Union)

    76. MidWest Mixed

    77. Musings of the Lame

    78. NALEO Educational Fund

    79. Nanchang Project

    80. National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)

    81. National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

    82. National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF)

    83. National Coalition of Adoptee Equality

    84. National Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)

    85. National Immigrant Justice Center

    86. National Immigration Forum

    87. National Immigration Law Center

    88. National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIPNLG)

    89. National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)

    90. National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights

    91. National Partnership for New Americans

    92. NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

    93. North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)

    94. NQAPIA

    95. OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates

    96. Polytech Fibers Inc. (PTF)

    97. Presbyterian Church USA

    98. Presente

    99. South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

    100. Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

    101. Somos Un Pueblo Unido

    102. Southeast Asia Resource Action Center

    103. Taste of Korea Chicago Festival (TOK Chicago)

    104. The Federation of Midwest Korean American Associations (FOMKAA)

    105. The Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN)

    106. The Park Adoption Community Center

    107. The Rhizome Center for Migrants

    108. T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

    109. UndocuBlack Network

    110. Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community

    111. Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ)

    112. United We Dream

    113. US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

    114. Visual Communications Media

    115. We Are Casa

    116. Woodhull Freedom Foundation

    117. Zions Bank (ZBNA)

    1. ACLU Alabama

    2. ACLU of Florida

    3. Adoptee Hub

    4. Adoptees Connect - Philadelphia

    5. Adoptees Connect - Providence

    6. Adoptees Connect, Buffalo

    7. Adoption Network Cleveland

    8. Adoption Perspectives, LLC

    9. Adoption Rhode Island

    10. Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York

    11. Ahri Center

    12. AKAP: Adult Korean Adoptees of Portland

    13. AKAP Adult Korean Adoptees of Portland

    14. Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education

    15. Also-Known-As

    16. Ann Kim Md Pc

    17. APIENC (API Equality - Northern California)

    18. Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington

    19. Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles

    20. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

    21. Asian Americans Advancing Justice- Atlanta

    22. Asian American Advocacy Fund (AAF)

    23. Asian Counseling and Referral Service

    24. Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)

    25. Asian Pacific Islander Coalition

    26. Asian Services In Action (ASIA)

    27. Bergen County Green Party

    28. Bergen County Immigration Strategy Group

    29. Boston Korean Adoptees

    30. Brown Asian Sisters Empowered (BASE)

    31. CCJC

    32. Chicago Jesus-Love Korean UMC

    33. Chicago Joyful Community Church

    34. Chicago Sanctuary Church Network

    35. Chinese Children Adoption International

    36. Coalición de Derechos Humanos

    37. Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community

    38. Coalition of Adoptive Families COFAF

    39. Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL)

    40. Coalition of Community Organizations (Texas)

    41. Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition

    42. Colorado People's Alliance

    43. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S.

    44. Provinces

    45. Cross Cultural Adoptee Mentorship Program (C-CAMP)

    46. Dreamers Community Church

    47. Enlace Chicago

    48. Essex County Community Organization (ECCO)

    49. Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resources Center (EMBARC)

    50. Equality California

    51. Equality North Carolina

    52. Equity in Education Coalition

    53. Faith Communities Organizing for Sanctuary

    54. Families with Children from China of Greater New York

    55. Families with Children from China Southern California

    56. Farmworker Association of Florida

    57. First Presbyterian Church, Grinnell

    58. First Presbyterian Church, Mount Pleasant

    59. Florida Immigrant Coalition

    60. FOMAA

    61. H-CAN (Havertown-Area Community Action Network) Immigration and

    62. Iowa Korean Adoptees

    63. Refugee Action Group

    64. HANA Center

    65. Hanul Family Alliance

    66. Heavenswill church

    67. Idaho Korean Association

    68. Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

    69. Inland Korean American Association (IKAA)

    70. Iowa Asian Alliance

    71. Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice

    72. Iowa Welcomes Immigrant Neighbors

    73. Japanese American Service Committee

    74. KAN-WIN

    75. Kentucky Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (KCIRR)

    76. Korean American Association of St. Louis

    77. Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH)

    78. Korean American Association of Chicago (KAAC)

    79. Korean American Association of Springfield

    80. Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA)

    81. Korean-American Society of Iowa

    82. Korean War Memorial Foundation of Oregon

    83. Make the Road New York

    84. Make the Road Pennsylvania

    85. Mayor's Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (Philadelphia)

    86. Memphis Korean Association

    87. Michigan Open Access

    88. Michigan United (MU)

    89. MinKwon Center for Community Action

    90. Minority People’s Email Network

    91. MIRA Coalition

    92. MN8

    93. Mujeres Latinas en Action

    94. NAKASEC Virginia

    95. NAPAWF*NYC

    96. Network of Politicized Adoptees (NPA)

    97. New Portland Foundation

    98. New York Adoptee Rights Coalition (NYARC)

    99. New York Immigration Coalition

    100. North Carolina Asian Americans Together

    101. NOVA Friends of Refugees

    102. Occupy Bergen County

    103. Ohio Asian American Health Coalition

    104. Ohio Birthparents Group

    105. Ohio Immigrant Alliance

    106. One In Christ Episcopal Church

    107. OneAmerica

    108. OPAWL

    109. Organized Communities Against Deportations OCAD

    110. Pact, An Adoption Alliance

    111. Paz Promise Arizona

    112. Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific

    113. American Affairs

    114. Pennsylvania Immigration & Citizenship Coalition

    115. Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste

    116. Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada

    117. Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)

    118. Rhode Island First Korean Church

    119. Schaumburg Alliance Church

    120. Services, Immigrant Rights & Education Network (SIREN)

    121. Silver State Equality-Nevada

    122. Somos Un Pueblo Unido

    123. Sunflower Community Action

    124. SURJ Marin - Showing Up for Racial Justice

    125. Taste of Korea Chicago Festival

    126. Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition

    127. The Alliance of RI Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE)

    128. The Korean American Federation of Utah

    129. The Korean Association of Oklahoma

    130. The Korean Society of Dallas

    131. The Park Adoption Community Center

    132. The Second Presbyterian Church, New York City

    133. Transracial Adoptees at Ohio State

    134. Truth in Immigration Project

    135. Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA)

    136. Vietnamese Association of Illinois

    137. Virginia Coalition for Immigration Rights

    138. Voces de la Fontera

    139. Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center (WOTS)

    140. Woori Center

    141. Yeondae