Speech #930113350

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 7555. a bill I Introduced to grant a child adopted by a single U.S. citizen the same immediate relative status for immigration purposes as a child adopted by a U.S. citizen and spouse. Under existing law. section 101(b) (1) (F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allows only married U.S. citizens. and not an unmarried U.S. citizen. the right to petition for immediate relative status for an alien orphan intended to be or already adopted. The administrative rulings on this matter have prohibited an unmarried person from petitioning for immediate relative status for an otherwise eligible alien orphan. This distinction in the law has caused much suffering. For example. the American unmarried aunt or uncle. either single. widowed. or divorced. of an alien orphan cannot now obtain immediate relative status for her or his orphaned niece or nephew. Furthermore. today there are many unmarried persons who would like to adopt Vietnam orphans. fathered by American soldiers. Although many States now allow adoption by an unmarried person. this adoption is thwarted by an antiquated immigration policy. I originally introduced this legislation in September 1972 after the injustice of the present law was brought to my attention by a constituent. This particular young woman had adopted a Korean child. However. to her dismay and sorrow. she found that she could not bring the adopted alien orphan to the United States as an immediate relative solely because she was a single. unmarried parent. Most single parents in this situation have had to register the child for a nonpreference visa number. The child is then placed on the waiting list since this category is often oversubscribed and visas are unavailable for years. During this time the child may not permanently enter the United States. The report on H.R. 7555 filed by the House Judiciary Committee. urging that the bill be passed. states thatThe Committee recognizes that there has been a continuing trend in state legislatures to enact legislation authorizing single persons to adopt children.