Panama-born Ernesto Schwartz, 35, was adopted by an American citizen when he was a young boy. He could have become a citizen, but his parents never took the necessary steps. They mistakenly waited for years to fill out the paperwork, and after Schwartz turned 18, it was too late. Then, two felony drug convictions and a change in immigration laws made Schwartz deportable. Authorities began proceedings to have Schwartz deported after he went to them to straighten out his situation. He left behind a wife and 5 year old son.

Status: Deported

Daniel Heiskala was born in South Korea and adopted by a U.S. couple, joining their three biological children. According to his parents, he came to the United States as “a half-starved five-year-old boy.” The family lived on a farm in Michigan, and then later moved to North Carolina and eventually to Texas, where Heiskala attended West Lake Christian High School. He speaks no Korean and has had no contact with anyone in Korea since his adoption. In 1994, when Heiskala was in his early twenties, he was convicted of stealing a car and sentenced to seven to ten years in prison. He was paroled out after serving slightly more than two years, and has had no further convictions since that time. In 2003, he was put in deportation proceedings on the basis of the 1994 conviction. Because he was convicted after a trial rather than on a guilty plea, the government has taken the position that he is ineligible for discretionary relief even though his conviction predates the 1996 amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act.33. His case is currently on appeal. This is believed to be the citation: Choo Doc Kim v. Alberto Gonzales, No. 05-2485 (1st Circuit)

Status : Unknown, but believed to be in US

Man adopted from the Philippines in 1986 at the age of five, ran into the law and was subsequently deported.

Status: Unknown, believed to be deported

Sandra Orantes-Cruz, adopted in the US after her mother was killed in El Salvador, was convicted of  felonious assault and kidnapping, in a fight with a boyfriend. She was sentenced to 3 years, and scheduled to be deported. With the support of the Prosecutor and Judge in the original case, her charged were reduced to 360 days probation, which stopped the deportation.
Tragically, her 5 year old son died in a house fire several years later.

Status: Unknown, believed to be in the US

Mario was brought to Ontario Canada at age 5 to be adopted along with his sister. After 3 years, his adoptive mother placed him in custody of Catholic Children's Aid Society. He was a ward of the state until adulthood, but no one applied for permanent resident status or citizenship. He was deported to Mexico

Status: Deported

Lowell and Bonnie Billings adopted Aaron from Korea when he was 3 years old. At that time, a misprinted birth certificate sent from the adoption agency led them to believe that Aaron’s alien status had been changed to that of a U.S. citizen, and so they never pursued the naturalization process for him as adoptive parents are required to do. But in April 2001, Aaron was picked up for selling marijuana, and the INS identified him as an illegal alien. Because of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which imposed harsh regulations on non-citizens who commit crimes, even misdemeanors, Billings ended up detained in San Diego and facing deportation.

After a two-year campaign of legal appeals, letters from prominent community members, coupled with the Korean Consulate's hesitation to issue papers, Billings was suddenly released without explanation recently. He is still under "order of supervision" which leaves him vulnerable to being deported

Agency: Children's Home Society (California or Minn?)

Status: Unknown, believed to be in USA under "order of supervision"

Walter and Jean Clancy adopted Christopher in 1982 from Mexico.

Jean Clancy claims she took Christopher to the INS office in 1986 to fill out the paperwork making him a U.S. citizen. While completing the form, she says, a supervisor told them that Christopher was already a citizen.

Jean Clancy says the paperwork she had already filled out was kept at the office. The INS says it has no evidence of the visit.

In 2000 Christopher was convicted on three burglary charges and sentenced to five years.

The INS decided Christopher Clancy is not a U.S. citizen. So after he did his time, he was transferred to a federal detention center to await deportation.

Status: Unknown

Various adoptee citizenship issues in countries other than USA

Marisa Patricia Carlson was illegally adopted in Argentina in 1975 when she was just days old. She entered the country on a visa and got a green card.

At 25, she faced deportation for check forgery.

Status: Unknown

Woman adopted from Germany faced deportation for pulling another woman's hair in 1988. She was awarded citizenship in 2001.