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Couples ally to publicize foreign adoption plights
International dispute holds up some visas
Courtesy photos The Carroll family of Camarillo meets two baby girls at an orphanage in Thi Nguyen, Vietnam, on Sept. 18. From left are Jeremy, Julie Carroll holding Madelyn Grace, Grayson, and Steve Carroll holding Lillian Rose. Lillian Rose is the only baby to receive a visa and is in California with the family now. Madelyn Grace remains in Vietnam.
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Madelyn Grace has been in foster care in Vietnam since October.
After months of trying to bring an adopted infant daughter to America from her native Vietnam, a Camarillo family has joined forces with eight other U.S. families facing the same obstacle.
The goal is to try and persuade broadcast organizations and media personalities to publicize what's happening to them and why, and to bring public pressure to bear on government officials so they can bring their children home.
Steve and Julie Carroll of Camarillo are among 26 American families caught in the middle of a dispute between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments, according to an immigration attorney representing the nine families.
Visa for only one girl
In September, the couple went to Vietnam, where they adopted two baby girls.
However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a visa for only one of the girls, named Lillian Rose by her adoptive family, to come home to Southern California.
The federal agency issued a Notice of Intent to Deny the visa for the other child, named Madelyn Grace, who has been in foster care in Vietnam since October.
"It's appalling," said lawyer Lynda Zengerle, who heads the immigration division of the law firm Steptoe and Johnson in Washington, D.C. "This is the worst situation I've seen, and I have been doing this a long time."
Zengerle blamed the roadblock on two factors: first, bureaucratic wrangles between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security; and second, a souring of relations between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments.
Zengerle said the families are caught in the middle between the two agencies of the U.S. government.
Steve Carroll, 38, deputy administrator for Ventura County Emergency Medical Services, and Julie, 36, have two sons, Grayson, 4, and Jeremy, 6.
"We're stuck in the middle," said Steve Carroll, who went back to Vietnam in December to visit Madelyn Grace and move her to the home of a Vietnamese family caring for her while the Carrolls wait for permission from the U.S.
"It's incredibly frustrating," said Julie Carroll. "Everyone seems to have lost sight of the fact that this is about a child."
Zengerle said investigations by Vietnamese lawyers have shown that the children being denied visas are not wanted by their biological parents and meet the international definition of an "orphan."
The Carrolls filed an appeal against the Notice of Intent to Deny in mid-December through their Georgia-based immigration attorney, Irene Steffas.
"In the U.S., we don't penalize children for their parents' crimes. But in Vietnam, we penalize children for what their government officials do not disclose," Steffas said in a statement to The Star. "The children are being used as pawns. If the family fights for their child, the U.S. consul tells them that they are contributing to corruption in Vietnam."
'Strength in numbers'
Now, with the process dragging on, the Carrolls are hoping a more orchestrated publicity campaign in conjunction with other families, some in other parts of the U.S. and some in Vietnam awaiting a decision, can finally achieve a happy outcome.
"There's definitely strength in numbers," Julie Carroll said. "When you join your voice with those of others, it's harder to ignore you. It also means we are able to share resources and support one another."
Sen. Barbara Boxer said the government should judge these cases on their merits.
"These families have gone through an emotional roller coaster and are understandably frustrated by our government's refusal to allow them to bring their adoptive children home," Boxer said. "The U.S. government should review each case on its merits."
Posted by AnnaWhaat on January 14, 2008 at 7:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Prayers are with you to bring your daughter home!
Posted by maganap on January 15, 2008 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Also looking to expand my family. This is good to know. I hope and pray for your daughter to be home soon.
Posted by abbyjacks on January 15, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Growing up in a foster home in California (bounced around, neglect and abuse) I always wondered why a select few of us were adopted....how come more and more families choose to adopt overseas verses right in our own backyard? Every child deserves a family, but what about the overcrowding foster care system in the U.S.?
Posted by jcwool on January 15, 2008 at 11:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
US Immigration official does have a point that the amount of money these American adoptive parents are willing to throw at an impovished country IS contributing to corruptions. How can anyone turn a blind eye to the fact that each "orphan" yields $15,000 USD to the Vietnamese side. I applaud our officials for their willingness to stand up against what is WRONG. It is wrong to think that these parents deserve to bring these children home, because they can pay with disregard to how this might impact Vietnam.
Posted by collegestudentforlife on January 16, 2008 at 9:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So jcwool, it's okay for that little girl to grow up without parents when there are parents in the US who already love her and are ready to care for her? The money doesn't simply go straight into the gov'ts pocketbooks. I hope this family gets to take their little girl home soon.
Posted by pearadopt on January 17, 2008 at 5:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
With deep compassion for the families and children involved, and respect for the work Ms. Zengerle does on behalf of adoptive families, I disagree with some of the statements made in this article. The issuance of the NOIDs was not due to political problems between the US DOS, USCIS and the Vietnamese government, rather the investigation of these cases and the issuance of the NOIDs has caused the friction between the US and VN officials.
The USCIS has released statements about the evidence of corruption in the provinces involved, namely Phu Tho and Thai Nguyen. These are the same provinces and people who were involved in the problems leading the previous closure of adoptions from Vietnam.
A lot of money is pouring into Vietnam for adoptions. There is no accountability for that money from either the US adoption agencies or Vietnamese officials. The officials profiting from the situation are not happy when the USCIS takes notice of the discrepancies in paperwork and investigates on its own. They are not happy when these investigations result in a loss of potential income. The VN officials responsible for approving adoptions are concerned and offended when the US government overrules their findings. This is the conflict and political friction.
What has happened to these families is appalling. They are stranded in a foreign country with children whom the VN government claims are legally theirs but whom the US government has enough concern over their paperwork to question the validity of the adoptions. Does anyone really want to be involved in a corrupted adoption? I believe that the USCIS is trying to do the right thing. It is taking a bold stand, investigating potential abuses of the system, and changing the manner in which visa applications are processed and investigated so that families no longer will be stuck in Vietnam like the family involved here.
My heart breaks for these families, but I don’t think the finger is being pointed at the right entities - responsibility for this situation lies with the agencies and Vietnamese officials who bartered these adoptions. I noticed that not a single adoption agency was quoted in the article. Where is the accountably of the adoption agencies involved in these cases? What are they doing for these families? Who is going to be responsible to these children if their documents are falsified and their true identities are erased? Where is the public outcry demanding that broadcast organizations and media personalities step forward in support of transparency in adoptions for the benefit of the entire adoption triad? These are deeply concerning questions that need answers.
I sincerely hope that these families are reunited and the adoptions are found to be valid and ethical, but please, stop and take a good look at who is really responsible for the situation in Vietnam and support initiatives to clean it up.
Gina Pollock
PEAR
www.pear-now.org
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