The Department of State has issued its strongest warning ever “urging” American citizens not to commence an adoption from Guatemala at this time.
According to the DOS warning, Guatemalan officials have informed the DOS that Guatemala intends to require cases “pending” or filed after December 31, 2007 to meet Hague standards, “even if the adoption procedures commenced before that date.” Guatemalan officials have also informed the DOS that Guatemala will stop processing adoptions to the United States beginning January 1, 2008 until such time that the U.S. accession to the Hague Convention has taken effect.
In turn, the DOS states that there may be a period of time when it will not be able to approve adoptions from Guatemala, until Guatemala becomes Hague compliant.
The DOS notes that some American citizens are already experiencing delays in the Guatemalan adoption process and references the several dozen children at Casa Quivira who were to be adopted by Americans and who were taken into custody by Guatemalan authorities "because of alleged irregularities in the adoption process and concerns about the care of the children." Once again, the DOS warning also cites the current investigations of adoption services providers for Guatemala adoption in the United States. According to the DOS, “prospective adoptive parents face the real possibility that current, pending cases may be disrupted by legal investigations.”
Usha
Department of State Warning on Guatemala Adoptions, September 2007
What is scary is that most agencies won't divulge this info to prospective parents until it is too late to back out. Train Wreck, indeed.
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