Adoptee Hub Zoom meetings offer emotional and resource support for Korean adoptees fearful of immigration raids | By Martha Vickery (Winter 2026)
After a week in Minnesota that included the unlawful detention (and later release) of three citizen Korean adoptees on no grounds except for looking Asian, the adoptee service organization Adoptee Hub began a four-part series of Zoom meetings for adoptees to address Korean adoptees’ concerns and inform them of their civil rights in this moment.
Adoptee Hub president Ami Nafzger said she opened up these sessions because she knew fellow adoptees had questions in light of the recent aggressive raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting people of color. She wanted to give them opportunities to express fears and feelings. They had a lot to say.
Two recent emotional blows to adopted Koreans (Minnesotan adoptees in particular), have been a lot, Nafzger said. In mid-2025, there was a report from the Korean government about the high incidence of fraudulent adoption records, particularly among adoptees who are now older adults. This conveys to them that the nations that placed them did not care enough to keep accurate records on their adoption. Immediately after having to absorb that blow, the ICE onslaught in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and other Minnesota cities began.
It was a double-whammy, sending the message that their new country, which ostensibly promised to adopt them and give them families and homes, is also rejecting them by questioning their right to be here, sometimes with illegal abductions and detentions. “Adoptees are super-frustrated about the whole situation,” she said of the recent traumatizing developments.
The first session of the series, entitled Acts of Strength: Adoptees Stand United took place Sunday, January 18, was for adoptees only. It provided a safe space for participants to talk about the effect of the recent ICE raids in Minnesota, and its effects on Korean adoptees and their families. The session covered self-care and protecting one’s mental health, personal safety, online safety, and issues around forms of identification adoptees may need to carry with them.
In a practical sense, she said, adoptees are asking about what to do if they get stopped, arrested or detained. Nafzger remarked that many Korean adoptees are also seeking answers to more complex long-term questions, like what to do if the situation in the U.S. becomes untenable, and whether relocating to Korea is an option.
The most recent session, held Monday, January 26 was Asian Adoptees’ Experiences with ICE and How We Can Support Each Other. The session included personal sharing and discussion about adoptees’ rights in Korea as people who are Korean-born, to leave the U.S. and relocate in Korea, either temporarily or permanently. The F4 (working) visa is available to Korean nationals who have changed their citizenship to the U.S. The session also included a briefing by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on rights of citizens and non-citizens under the Constitution.
The third session, to be held 12 noon on Sunday, February 1, will include a presentation by immigration attorney Gregory Luce, of the Adoptee Rights Law Center, on the topic of “know your rights” for anyone who is stopped, searched or detained by immigration authorities, Nafzger said.
A fourth session will also be held (date TBD) for friends and loved ones of Korean adoptees, to discuss how best to support Korean adoptee family members who are being questioned and racially profiled in their own cities, according to Nafzger.
More information will be available on the Adoptee Hub website, and social media (Facebook and Instagram). Adoptee Hub’s website page for events is: https://www.adopteehub.org/events
The training portion of the January 26 Adoptee Hub session, presented by the ACLU can be found here.
