The CNA is still not working full swing. I spoke with my facilitator on Tuesday. He said after waiting in line to have the new form submitted, the CNA told hime they did not have ink to stamp the form. I am considering sending office supplies to GUA.

No expectation...
Just want you to know that your efforts are greatly appreciated. Any time you post just a little more information and clarification than we could get any place else it is somehow comforting. I don't even know you but it feels like I have an advocate out there!

This is great! We are hopefully up and running again! So have we heard anything about anyone ACTUALLY receiving "constancias"? At this point how are they going to process everyone at once?

How do we really know for sure that are cases are registered? Other than our agency's telling us that we are registered.

Sorry if I am repeating news that was already posted somewhere on the site, but I saw a Yahoo News/AP article yesterday saying that Anabella Morfin and Marvin Rabanales agreed to step down from the CA. The link is http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080206/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/guatemala_adoptions_1.

I am not sure if this is what enabled the two board members to be sworn in today? The article says that Elizabeth Hernandez Guerra and Concha Maryllis Barrientos will replace Morfin and Rabanales.

I hope this is good news for those of you in process. We brought our daughter home in June, but I still think about you all every day.

Gina

Thank you so much for your updates. Some news is better than no news for those of us just waiting...

dont close the adoptions in guatemala because if it closes all them babies will never get a home

The Associated Press article from yesterday "Guatamala Adoption Officials Resign" statest that Elizabeth Hernandez Guerra and Concha Maryllis Barrientos, will begin their jobs Wednesday.

Does anyone know if that was yesterday or next Wednesday? If we need all 3 signatures for the registration to be valid I sure hope we don't lose another week waiting for them to start.

The 13th will be 1 year since we accepted our daughters referal. We have been waiting to get resubmitted to PGN, I really hope they get moving soon.

Kevin, Thank you! I tell my friends that guatadopt is the "word on the street" because I can always seem to get updates on this site before anywhere else. And when I'm desperate for ANY reliable information, that's big!

Are they now recieving the funds being withheld?

Does anyone know just how many registrations can be presented on any one day and if there is a cap to that number by each attorney or notary?

Also, is there any reason to think that the registration deadline will be extended?

Lastly, is there any word on the ADA's Amparo?

As always, thank you for providing accurate information and helping so many confused PAPs. Guatadopt is THE source for our information.

Thanks for the encouraging updates - KYFC.

Assuming CNA eventually gets going, my next real worry bead is the Embassy and thier I-600 / April 1 deadline.

Even CIS doesn't know what to do. This may require grass roots legislative action?

I'm still confused. Are there TWO places our cases need to be registered at? I know our atty registered us at one...but is there another necessary step. I'm still confused. Can anyone clarify.
Holli

There is only one CA. There never actually were two.

There is no April deadline for the US side (CIS, DOS, etc). The US joining the Hague has NO impact on anyone who mailed in their I600A before April.

It was also reported in the Guatemalan papers today that CNA has said it's immeiate goal is getting the cases registered.

I know of no limits on how many cases can be presented a day by an attorney.

Kevin
Guatadopt.com

I too am wondering what others have brought up. I

Our attorney has many, many cases to register and has been waiting to hear back about the latest amparo. Is there any reason to think that the registration deadline will be extended?

Also, is there any word on the ADA's Amparo?

Thanks,
Lees

I am SO glad to hear that is their immediate goal! Did it say WHEN immediate started :o) I know that have been accepting paper work for a while now... and we are set legally and staff wise... now... when do constancia's start coming out? If they have 2300 files to go through this could be quite a waiting process depending on how indepth they decide to go with these. Have we heard what being issued a constancia entails? Should it take hours per file or mere moments?

I just REALLY want to be back in PGN!

Just a word of caution - We just went thru a horrible 24 hrs. We are waiting for our pink slip to be issued anyday now and what we recieved was a notice that our fingerprints were about to expire? We have no more adoption agency as Project Oz has gone belly up, so we did not know this could happen?? Also - the I600A has an expiration date. We are also adopting a sibling who is not yet in PGN (as with everyone else) but who is registered with the CA. So depending on how much longer this takes - Please BEAWARE - Know youe expiration dates and stay ontop of them. Do not let something like this hold you up!!
Many Blessings to everyone especially our children!!

As an in-process parent myself, I thought this might be of interest to everyone. This article was published yesterday in the Guatemalan paper, Prensa Libre. I've included the link if you'd like to read it in spanish, or I've also provided a translation below (it's handy to be bilingual right now...) While I experienced a full range of emotions as I was reading this, I'll leave my personal opinions out of it.

Here's the link:

http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/febrero/06/218610.html

Here's the translation:

After failing in their attempt in court to stay in charge, 4 of the 5 members of the CNA resigned, to not further delay the adoption process.
At a press conference, the attorneys Anabella Morfin, Marvin Rabanales and Byron Alvarado announced their decision to leave the Central Authority, due to the refusal to honor their designations made by the previous government.
Hilda Morales, who was designated an acting member of the CNA by the Supreme Court, also resigned due to solidarity.
Morfín emphasized that they were desisting the legal battle in court, since the adverse resolutions were evidence that whatever other action they attempted would be rejected, since the issue had become political and the Executive Branch of the justice system had interfered.
The members of the CNA declared that it was not their intention to let the 2,500 in-process adoptions expire.
The new Adoption Law establishes that the cases that were left pending from 2007 must be registered with the CNA before February 12th.
As of yesterday in the 15th hour, 2,350 in-process cases had been submitted to the CNA to receive their respective constancies.

The five members also stated that they were retiring because as long as they were in charge, the government would not deliver the Q10 million for the operation of that entity.

“There are pressures from different individuals that are directed at drowning us, like not releasing the budget, and if we can’t count on the financial resources, we cannot comply with the assigned work, even if we have the desire to move forward.”
Yesterday, the CNA was also notified of a new action against them, that was presented by 115 attorneys to the 2nd court of the judicial branch which indicated that the CNA was requiring too much information about the adoption cases.
Morfín said that this demonstrated why, since the beginning, their continuance in the CNA was hindered.

Rabanales says that he saw that since Alvaro Colon assumed office, there was interference with power.
“It is evident that for the government, the problem was us, since we were not going to allow the dignity of the children be trampled, and so in order for the children’s interests to prevail, we prefer to resign.”
Morales stated that he preferred to resign before he lent himself to the political game of the government, and not respect the autonomy of the entity.
“My reputation is at stake and I don’t want to lend myself to games of the people that were named by this government” asserted Morales.
The attorneys submitted their resignations to Rudy Soto Ovalle, appointed by the CSJ, the only one that will continue in the CNA.

Thanks guatadopt for keeping us up on the current situation. Your website has been a wonderful source of info and encouragment for us these last few months!

I just want to pass on some good info that hopefully will give all waiting parents some encouraging news. We learned yesterday that our case was approved by PGN -actually got a scanned copy of the approval notice (submitted in mid Dec), so things actually are moving there. Our facilitator believes that registered cases will get signed soon and seems quite positive about the situation for in-process cases. Hope this gives some peace to everyone waiting.

Thank you for the "scoop!" Just curious, what do you mean by the "long form?" I got an emailed copy (faxed to my agency) from the lawyer. It was @ 2 pages long. It had a photo of the baby, the lawyer's name, baby's name and info. Maybe thee was more, and I only got that for confirmation? Should I hound my agency to find out if it's "the long (right) form?" It was writen on 1/25 and stamped received 1/28/08.

Thanks! And again, thanks for all you do for the GU kids (and parents!)

My agency emailed me a copy of the receipt from the CNA dated this past Monday which is WONDERFUL, but how do I know if it was the "old" form or the "new"/ correct form that was submitted??

And please, please, please someone let us know when constancias start being issued and from what date those cases were filed w/ the CNA.

Thanks!!!

Kevin,

Thank you for all your help and keeping us updated and for also passing the word to the adoption agencies to keep PAPS updated on our cases. You are so right, if we don't know what is going on with our case it just adds so much more stress and that is the last thing we need. I know they may not have a lot of information, but for me knowing that the communcation is there gives me a little relief if that is even possible.

Kevin,

Thank you for keeping us up-to-date. My agency told me today that my case still has not been re-submitted to PGN because PGN is still closed. Is this true?

Do you know if cases will be registered with the CNA without being in PGN (due to previo)?

Also, I corrected my agency case worker. She told me that according to the attorneys, all her agency's cases have been registered. I told her that I don't believe it because the two new board members were sworn in today and have not reviewed/accepted/approved the most recently revised registration form.

I think the CNA (CA) should notify PAPs directly rather than go through the attorneys and agencies, so that we truly know that we are registered - similar to the USE for pre-approval and pink.
Thanks again and I look forward to your responses (as always).
Bethie

oops! I just realized that Kevin wrote that note about the 2 new CNA BODs last night at about midnight. So I assume they were sworn-in on Wednesday.

Have registrations truly been approved today (Thursday)? Has the BODs reviewed and approved the registration form?

Thank you.
Bethie

Thank you kevin! At least someone gets it that the perspective parents should be kept informed as to where they are in the registration process.

I have talked to my agency several times this week asking if we have a time stamped reciept. They refuse to give us any information. Only saying that the process cannot be rushed.

My guess is that they have not submitted the forms yet. What are they waiting for???? The deadline is days away. Are they waiting for the attorney's amparo to go through? I feel like we have no recourse.

If anyone has any suggestions/advice - I would love it!!!

I have been keeping up with all that is going on even though we brought our son Philip home Jan. 4th and it breaks my heart to see the days go by and nothing moving forward. The one thing that I have learned through the adoption of two wonderful boys from Guatemala is that if you trust you must, and I mean must verify every word that comes from your agency and every word or action that comes from Guatemala. Demand compliance from your agencies and your attorney concerning your verification questions and proof. We went into FC in mid May 2007, 1st DNA--13 day turnaround, PA end of Aug., out of PGN end of Oct. and then the fight began, because we were being lied to about BC being done and I had to get real tough with those in the US and in Guatemala to get to the end. We were very blessed to have compliance with our demands and it made getting through the maze of paperwork and people much more tolerable. The problems that occur are usually not associated with paperwork having problems but with people becoming the problem instead of the solution. I pray that this nightmare for all will end soon and the children whom God has made will join all of their forever families very soon.

Trusting in Him,

Paul

Any insight on the news today that copies of all paperwork filed for registrations by the attornies now must be taken to another address? What will they think of next?!?

There is an important anouncement of the CNA at www.adaguatemala.org
Susana Luarca

LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT ON ADA WEBSITE

February 08, 2008
IMPORTANT ANOUNCEMENT OF THE CNA
In today’s Prensa Libre, page 61, the CNA anounced the following:

The National Council of Adoptions informs:

To the notaries who have submitted their files of petition of adoptions before December 31st. 2007, they must register them at the offices of the National Council of Adoptions, temporarily located at the Secretaria de Bienestar Social de la Presidencia, on 32 street 9-34 zone 11, Colonia Las Charcas until Tuesday February 12th., 2008, inclusive. Will be open during the weekend in an schedule from 9 in the morning to 16 hours.

To the notaries who submitted their files to the members of the former Council, they must present their copy at the offices of the Secretaria de Bienstar social during the before mentioned schedule so they can get assigned a registration number.

Attentively,

National Council of Adoptions, Guatemala, February 8th., 2008.

The public relations person of the Supreme Court told the media that regarding the amparo filed by the lawyers, the suspension of the obligation to fill out a four pages form was not granted, which means that they will keep requiring all the information about the child, the birthmother and the adoptive parents, a picture of the child and his prints of hands and feet. That also means that the new members of the CAN cannot argue later that because the former members were already fired when they authorized the form, did not have the right to establish such registration form. The Amparo court has validated the four page form and by filing the registration form at the new location or presenting the copy of the registration, each case will be given a registration number that will prove to the PGN that the case has already been registered.