U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) led four of his Republican colleagues in urging the newly installed prime minister of Haiti to consider and approve the evacuation of the approximately 70 Haitian children currently in the adoption process with American families, a dozen of whom are being adopted by their Haitian American blood relatives.
“The U.S. Department of State has communicated its willingness to collaborate with the Haitian government to allow the children to enter the United States,” the lawmakers wrote in a Nov. 22 letter sent to Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. “It has been relayed to us that the Haitian government is unable or unwilling to allow for these children to leave Haiti without a full and final adoption and a Haitian passport.”
However, they pointed out that under the Hague Convention for the Protection of Children, the regulations do allow for the adoption to be finalized in the sending country or the receiving country, “confirming that there is a legal pathway for this to be accomplished,” wrote the members, who also included U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT).
This letter is the latest in a series of letters led by Rep. Pfluger urging action by Haiti’s government, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in response to the deteriorating security environment in Haiti. The Federal Aviation Administration, for instance, recently imposed travel restrictions on U.S. commercial flights traveling to Haiti due to increased gang activity.
“Due to the recent events, we are asking for emergency measures to be taken to get these children to their American families while the adoption is finalized,” Rep. Pfluger and his colleagues wrote. “These American families have a deep love for their Haitian children.”
The lawmakers asked the prime minister to get involved in the collaboration between Haitian authorities and the U.S. government to immediately facilitate the evacuation.
“This request is made with the utmost consideration for the safety and well-being of the Haitian children, allowing them to complete the adoption process from the United States,” they wrote.