The other day, I began wondering what the Trump administration would do
about inter-country adoptions. After all, they want to pass a new
immigration law which limits immigration from countries where black and
brown people live, and they're trying to rid the US of as many immigrants of
color as possible. Today I found out. I'm still on the mailing list of one
of my favorite inter-country adoption agencies, one with which I worked
closely for years. The Trump administration has set up a new entity to
accredit inter-country adoption agencies with new procedures, and an
increase of fees to familis which will go to this new federal accrediting
agency. Below is a simple, superficial explanation. The real purpose of this
is, Im sure, to end inter-country adoption because almost all of the
children adopted by US citizens these days are black and brown. Most of
these children are not healthy infants, but older children, and sibling
groups. It is an outrage, just one of many.
The U.S. Department of State, through its new accrediting entity, the
Intercountry Adoption Accreditation and Maintenance Entity, Inc. (IAAME), is
increasing the cost of international adoption for every family by $500, and
then another $500 per each additional child. The IAAME fee will go into
effect on February 15, 2018. We need your help to fight this increase for
all children and families!
The initial $500 fee may impact in-process families, if you accept more than
one child at time of referral. Adoption service providers are being asked by
the State Department to pay these fees on each family's behalf to IAAME
without a contract in place with IAAME, therefore, some details remain
unknown.
What we do know is that families make huge sacrifices to gather and raise
the funds necessary for adoption. We also know that sibling groups are in
desperate need of families, and adding $2,000 to an adoption of a sibling
group of four only for oversight by an accrediting entity is excessive for
families already sacrificing so much.
The above is on the website of one of the adoption agency organizations
which is attempting to get professionals and adoptive families to contact
congress people today and tomorrow to try to halt this unnecessary increase
in fees. I suspect that this is all being done with short notice. Some
adoptions may be halted in midstream. Eventually, small adoption agencies
will go out of business. Children without parents will remain in orphanages
in countries impoverished by US policies.
Miriam
