Woman adopted from Iran as toddler faces deportation after 53 years in U.S.
Feb 21, 2026 · California, CA, Iran

A woman adopted from Iran at age 3 by a U.S. Air Force officer and raised in the Midwest for 53 years is facing deportation to Iran, a country with which the U.S. has no diplomatic relations and is currently at war. She was excluded from automatic citizenship under the 2000 Child Citizenship Act due to overstaying a visa as a 4-year-old in the 1970s, a discrepancy she discovered in 2008 when applying for a passport. Her adoptive parents legally completed her adoption with a birth certificate and U.S. citizen parents listed, yet she lacks proof of citizenship. She fears deportation to a country she does not remember and where she has no family or language connections.
Timeline
Sources
More incidents in California
- Rideshare driver detained at Camp Pendleton gate despite valid work permitAug 23, 2026 · Oceanside, CA
- Mexican father arrested by ICE during morning walk in Redondo BeachAug 22, 2026 · Redondo Beach, CA
- Man deported to Mexico after 30 years in the US finds refuge in 'Little LA'Aug 21, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA
- Oceanside man killed in Tijuana months after ICE deportationAug 21, 2026 · Oceanside, CA
- ICE says San Diego County blocked agents from routine training facilitiesAug 20, 2026 · San Diego, CA
- Bangladeshi woman denied medication in ICE custody, now pushes for reform billAug 20, 2026 · California City, CA