Guatemala
Adoption Alert
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues
Update on Casa Quivira and Semillas de Amor Cases
March 10, 2009
Casa Quivira
According to our records, about 14 of the original 46 children at CQ still have cases pending. For six of these cases, the Attorney General’s Office (PGN) has identified irregularities. All six will have to be processed as abandonment cases; however, the Guatemalan government has agreed cases will be processed as transition cases and do not have to wait for the new procedures to drafted and implemented.
Semillas de Amor
The Embassy has obtained agreement from GOG officials that children whose adoptions have been completed, and who already have U.S. visas, should be allowed to leave the country. However, both the MP and PGN must complete their investigation and processing and then the Judge must lift to order for the children to stay at Semillas. Simply having the completed adoption and issued a visa will not automatically allow the child to leave Guatemala. Twelve more cases were released by the MP to PGN in January. At this time, hearings are scheduled for the remaining cases. There are five hearings. Ten cases per hearing are being presented before the judge who will determine the adoptability of the children. Once adoptability is determined, There is a mandatory wait of there days to allow for the filing of appeals. If no appeals are filed by the MP or PGN, the judge will send a notice to Migracion to lift the arriago, allowing the children to immigrate to the United States. On March 10, arraigo was lifted for 11 children, allowing them to immigrate to the United States. According to the MP only five cases of the original 54 cases have irregularities; these likely will have to be processed as abandonments under Guatemala’s new laws.