Re-open International Adoptions with Nepal
Every child deserves a family, and United States policies should protect that right.
We come to Congress to ask for your help to end a humanitarian crisis harming countless orphan children in Nepal. We are concerned United States citizens who care deeply about these vulnerable children and want to make sure that their basic human rights are protected by United States policies rather than harmed.
In August 2010, the United States Department of State (?DoS?) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (?USCIS?) jointly issued a statement announcing the suspension of adoptions by American families for abandoned children from Nepal. The announcement alleged that Nepal adoption documents (including police reports, orphanage records, and birth certificates) were not reliable and therefore the children could not be proven orphans. This announcement came just a few months after Nepal had re-opened to international adoptions after passing new adoption laws and creating a more robust adoption system to ensure that adoptions were completed ethically and in the best interests of Nepali orphan children.
In August 2010, on the day this announcement was made, there were 65 American families with pending adoptions in Nepal, and hundreds of American families who had begun the process of adopting from Nepal. In each of the 65 pending cases, there was no evidence of fraud and all of the adoption documents were found reliable by DoS and USCIS in the end. These 65 cases today represent 65 American children who are thriving in the care of their adoptive families. The hundreds of American families who had begun the process of adopting were forced to walk away as a result of the suspension. These hundreds of cases today represent hundreds of Nepali orphan children who have been denied the right to a permanent loving family.
Despite the fact that absolutely no fraud was found, the suspension remains in effect today and abandoned Nepali children may not be adopted by willing American families. The government of Nepal welcomes the resumption of international adoptions, and the sole obstacle to moving forward is the 2010 suspension, which is based on nothing more than speculation and suspicion.
In addition to lacking any factual basis, we believe the 2010 suspension also lacks any legal basis. Indeed, DoS and USCIS have exceeded the authority granted by Congress in imposing the suspension and their refusal to process cases for abandoned Nepali children violates United States law which mandates that every case be investigated, without exception.
We ask that Congress get involved in this humanitarian crisis and call for the United States Department of State and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to lift the suspension on adoptions from Nepal.
#lovegrowskids
In August 2010, the United States Department of State (?DoS?) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (?USCIS?) jointly issued a statement announcing the suspension of adoptions by American families for abandoned children from Nepal. The announcement alleged that Nepal adoption documents (including police reports, orphanage records, and birth certificates) were not reliable and therefore the children could not be proven orphans. This announcement came just a few months after Nepal had re-opened to international adoptions after passing new adoption laws and creating a more robust adoption system to ensure that adoptions were completed ethically and in the best interests of Nepali orphan children.
In August 2010, on the day this announcement was made, there were 65 American families with pending adoptions in Nepal, and hundreds of American families who had begun the process of adopting from Nepal. In each of the 65 pending cases, there was no evidence of fraud and all of the adoption documents were found reliable by DoS and USCIS in the end. These 65 cases today represent 65 American children who are thriving in the care of their adoptive families. The hundreds of American families who had begun the process of adopting were forced to walk away as a result of the suspension. These hundreds of cases today represent hundreds of Nepali orphan children who have been denied the right to a permanent loving family.
Despite the fact that absolutely no fraud was found, the suspension remains in effect today and abandoned Nepali children may not be adopted by willing American families. The government of Nepal welcomes the resumption of international adoptions, and the sole obstacle to moving forward is the 2010 suspension, which is based on nothing more than speculation and suspicion.
In addition to lacking any factual basis, we believe the 2010 suspension also lacks any legal basis. Indeed, DoS and USCIS have exceeded the authority granted by Congress in imposing the suspension and their refusal to process cases for abandoned Nepali children violates United States law which mandates that every case be investigated, without exception.
We ask that Congress get involved in this humanitarian crisis and call for the United States Department of State and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to lift the suspension on adoptions from Nepal.
#lovegrowskids
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