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Statement by the President: Signing of the "Child Citizenship Act of 2000" (10/30/00)

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                              THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary

_________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                            October 30, 2000


                        STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT


     Today I am pleased to sign into law H.R. 2883, the "Child Citizenship
Act of 2000."  This Act confers U.S. citizenship automatically upon certain
foreign-born children, including those adopted by citizens of the United
States, who do not acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.  This Act eliminates
the need in many instances for parents to apply to the Immigration and
Naturalization Service for Certificates of Citizenship for their children
who are not U.S. citizens at birth.

     Under prior law, foreign-born adopted children could be subject to
removal if they did not acquire U.S. citizenship after being brought to the
United States -- even if they had lived their lives since infancy in the
United States.  While this Act will not remedy past cases where adopted
children were deported, it will ensure that this unfortunate possibility
will be eliminated for most noncitizen adopted children under the age of 18
and for all noncitizen children adopted into U.S. households in the future.
I welcome this action to support families who adopt foreign-born children
by removing an unnecessary impediment to citizenship for these and other
foreign-born children.




                              WILLIAM J. CLINTON




THE WHITE HOUSE,
    October 30, 2000.




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