finding

First off, you are confusing readoption and naturalization. Readoption is a state function. I assume that, since you were adopted from the Philippines, you had a final decree of adoption issued there. However, some adoptive families also choose to readopt in their home state, in order to have "recognizable" documents for purposes such as school enrollment, to have replaceable documents if the foreign ones ever get destroyed or lost, and to protect inheritance rights. If your family readopted, there will be a decree of readoption on file in your parents' home state. Check with your state courthouse. The only problem is that the records may be sealed, depending on the law of your state. If the records are sealed, you will need to consult a lawyer about how you can get access to them. However, since the records pertain to readoption, they may or may not have much information about the original adoption in the Philippines. A lawyer can tell you whether readoption orders in your state include the name of the birthparents and the name of the particular city in the Philippines where you were born. Of course, not all parents readopt. Parents who saw their child prior to the overseas adoption finalization aren't legally required to readopt in order to bring the child to the U.S.; for them, it is optional. It is also optional for parents who have lived overseas for two years with their child before coming to the states with him/her. So it's quite possible that your parents didn't readopt. Naturalization is a federal function. It doesn't really matter where you were naturalized. The USCIS should have the records on file. One way to get hold of records in the USCIS possession is to file the G-884, which you can download from the USCIS website. Unless your parents requested the original records, you should be able to get things like your original adoption decree, birth certificate, visa medical report, and so on. It is very likely that these documents will give you information about the orphanage in which you were living, and possibly information about your birth family. It is possible that the USCIS will say that the records can be released only to your parents. If this happens, and you don't wish to involve your parents, check with a lawyer to see if you have a right, being the adopted person and being of legal age, to obtain the records. It could also happen that the records are no longer in the USCIS file. For example, they could have gotten lost, or they may have been obtained during the readoption or naturalization process. But filing the G-884, which is free, can't hurt. Another option is to find out what U.S. agency your parents used when you were adopted. I don't know whether or not the Philippines required foreign families to use an agency, back 19 years ago, but some countries do. If you know the agency name, you can contact the agency to see if it has records of your adoption. If the agency is unwilling to open its records to you, consult a lawyer to see if you have a legal right to see them. At the very least, the agency can probably give you non-identifying information, such as the name of the orphanage from which you were adopted. Once you have this information, you can contact the orphanage in the Philippines and request birthparent information, if it is available. Sharon