U.S. Department of State

U.S. Department of State
 
 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING ADOPTIONS IN HAITI

February 26, 2004

The Department of State is aware that many American parents are in the process of adopting children from Haiti and are naturally concerned about the current situation in that country. We want to remain in contact with adoptive families to advise them of updates to the situation in Haiti and to answer their questions. Please contact the Adoption Unit in the Office of Children's Issues at 202-736-9099, or at askci@state.gov.

We would greatly appreciate if you could provide answers to the following questions regarding your adoption, when contacting the Adoption Unit.

  • Questions Regarding Your Adoption And Its Processing Status
  • What is your complete name, address, telephone number and e-mail?
  • Are you presently in the United States or Haiti ?
  • What is your adoptive child's name and age? Where in Haiti is he/she located?
  • Did you have an appointment for a visa interview scheduled at the U.S. Consulate in Port Au Prince?

Was your dossier complete and ready for processing by the U.S. Consulate, i.e., did you receive notice that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has approved your I-600 petition? If yes, from which office? If the DHS office that processed your I-600 was located in the United States, has your child been DNA tested with his/her birth parents at the request of the Consulate?

If your dossier was not complete, what was your understanding of the processing status at the time U.S. Embassy staff were ordered to depart on February 21, 2004 – approved by the IBESR of the Haitian Government, awaiting an appointment at DHS, lacking certain documents, etc.

The security situation in Haiti is very bad and continues to deteriorate. The U.S. Department of State strongly urges American citizens to depart Haiti while commercial carriers are still operating.

The State Department strongly advises American citizens not to travel to Haiti at this time. There is the potential for spontaneous demonstrations and violent confrontation between pro-and anti-government supporters, students and other groups. While commercial air carriers continue flights to and from Haiti, we cannot say if this situation will change in the near future. American citizens are urged to review the most recent Travel Warning for Haiti at http://travel.state.gov/travel/haiti_warning.html, and to monitor the State Department's website ( http://travel.state.gov ) for further updates.

On Saturday, February 21, the Department ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and all family members from Haiti. The remaining embassy staff will attempt to assist American citizens who wish to depart the country, but their ability to assist U.S. citizens is very limited and diminishing as the security situation further deteriorates. The latest information on the security situation in Haiti may be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and 317 472 2328 from abroad.

The Embassy is not currently able to process visa cases. Applicants with scheduled immigrant visa appointments are urged not to travel to Haiti for them. The Embassy will monitor the security situation and inform the public when processing will resume.