U.S. veteran's adopted Iranian daughter faces deportation threat
Feb 24, 2026·Location: California, CA
Country of origin: Iran

A woman in her 50s, adopted from Iran as a toddler by a U.S. Air Force veteran, is facing deportation proceedings after discovering she was never formally naturalized as a U.S. citizen. She entered the country on a tourist visa and was excluded from the 2000 Child Citizenship Act, despite growing up in the Midwest and having no criminal record. She fears deportation to Iran given her father's military service, her Christian faith, and her lack of family or language connections to the country.
Sources
- A U.S. veteran adopted an orphan from Iran. Decades later, ICE is trying to deport her
NPR·Feb 24, 2026·archived copy
- She was an orphan adopted from Iran by a US veteran. The Trump administration wants to deport her
Associated Press·Feb 21, 2026·archived copy
upgrade.newsday.com·Feb 21, 2026·archived copy
- A U.S. veteran adopted an orphan from Iran over 50 years ago. ICE is trying to deport her
nbcwashington.com·Mar 2, 2026·archived copy
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