Yesterday's NY Times had a sickening and appalling story in it that has grabbed the attention of the adoption and immigration rights circles.
The story focuses on the horrendous aftermath that occurs when DHS ICE raids workplaces in search of undocumented workers. In particular, a case where a Guatemalan woman was incarcerated following a raid on a poultry plant and her son was subsequently adopted without her knowledge or approval.
You can read the story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/23children.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
have worked in the food manufacturing industry for years. I was recently speaking to the manager of a plant in the poultry industry about his labor concerns. His latest problem was that many of his Latin-American employees were quitting and either returning to their home country or finding work in places less likely to be raided. He prefaced that these are employees he knows to be legal (through the gov. sponsored social security number verification process). So why would they leave? Because they are afraid that if there is a raid, they could be mistakenly accused and separated from their children while they attempt to prove their status. I’m not here to say that these legal immigrants are justified in this fear. But by god when I read a story like this one I understand their concerns.
I’ve seen some things posted on other lists today throwing a lot of mud on the adoptive parents, who pushed this, it was not initiated by the courts. While that was and is my instinct as well, let’s also remember that all we have is one newspaper story as a knowledge base. Trust me that newspapers don’t always fully understand the intricacies of a story before publishing it. As I read the story, I did see an angle where the APs could have thought they were doing everything possible to ensure the child’s mother was aware when in actuality, because of illiteracy and language barriers, that may not have been the case.
What upsets me more than anything else is the sentiment and statements of the judge in the case. That guy should be removed from the bench. He had no way to know what kind of mother she was. Being undocumented in the US does not make someone anything worse than a victim of circumstance striving to survive. How on earth could this judge have granted this adoption without getting testimony from his mother when it was clear where she was?
If you ask me, that judge is guilty of kidnapping and far more deserves to be behind bars than this poor chapina whose child was stolen!
ARGH!
I think it is awful that these children are being taken away from theie parents for trying to make some money to support them legal or not. As an adoptive parent I am ashamed that these parents whose children were taken away and adopted are going through this anguish. It's no wonder why there is such negative press about Guatemalan adoptions....
Posted by: nancy at April 25, 2009 08:25 AMI agree totally that this is very wrong. Likely illegal if taken to a higher court. Not that this poor woman can afford to do that. What can we do to help? I thought of contacting the ACLU? Maybe they would take her case on as this is a certain infraction of our civil liberties here in the US.
There has to be something done to show this judge that he is WRONG.
Sad realization of the continued victimization of Guatemalan women, and especially birth mothers, and their children, with no voice or choice in those who handle their futures.
The limitations and challenges this mother faced, while just trying to have a better life, left her vulnerable to the same type of corruption we have seen on Guatemalan soil.
How sad this has continued now, right here in the US. What has happened to honor in our justice system? Where are the morals of those who make and approve these decisions?
I see this as evidence of more of the same,...MOST of those involved in the adoption plan for this child, well knew how unfair this was to the birth mom, yet they chose to conduct the business of adoption this way, with claims of 'being the best for the child', perhaps to ease their own conscience, or to justify their actions of being paid to assist in the adoption services.
Yet, even in this sad case, we'll probably see more of the same,... those who should 'govern' the behaviors of those involved in unethical adoption practices on both, State and Federal levels, will probably just continue to look the other way.
How very sad for little Carlos, and his mother, for sure.
How shameful of those who did this!
The judge in this case should be impeached - what he did was patently illegal. This woman had no representation and had clearly indicated she did not want to pursue adoption. She did not neglect the child at all, and as such, there's no justification for terminating parental rights.
Perhaps this is something the Guatadopt folks could organize some type of organized protest/look into helping this mother.
Posted by: Lee at April 26, 2009 09:20 PMElizabeth (and others),
Food for thought -- the State in this case was responsible for this travesty (along with the judge), since the child was in state-supervised foster care. Goes to show how having state supervision/control of adoption often is no better than a privately run system, in terms of checks and balances, and rights of first moms.
I don't think the mom is a victim of corruption -- she's a victim of racism.
Posted by: Lee at April 27, 2009 09:22 AMThis woman's child was stolen from her in the US of America. Unfortunately, this is nothing new in the adoption world -- international OR domestic. One million plus women in the US have lost children to adoption -- and I use the word lost intentionally.
Being at a disadvantage due to age, race, economic or educational status have long been factors that made it more likely that one's child will be taken and those complicit are the courts, maternity homes, adoption workers, etc. Somewhere along the path to this tragedy, Encarnacion and Carlos were subjected to the holier than thou, anti-immigrant, racist, ethnocentric superiority -- and like the millions who preceded them, they lost.
Finally, I will go out on what I believe is a very sturdy limb to state that there is no possible way that the man and woman who abducted Carlos with the help of an attorney and the court were oblivious to the facts of this case. There is NO justification and I refuse to dignify their behavior by use the title "parents" or even "adoptive parents" when refering to his abductors.
Posted by: Elizabeth S. at April 27, 2009 10:45 AMI contacted the ACLE of Western Missouri and they responded that they are aware of the case and are investigating. Hopefully, they will overturn this decision at another trial and this travesty will be over.
Posted by: karen at April 27, 2009 03:12 PMElizabeth-
I couldn't agree with you more....especially your last sentence about his "adoptive parents". They make me want to be sick.
Posted by: Freddy at April 27, 2009 07:49 PMSo, Elizabeth S., are all adoptions - that come as a result of a birthmom not having the financial means to care for a child - abductions? Just curious, thanks.
Posted by: Chiquita at April 29, 2009 12:25 PMSad, very sad.
I agree with Elizabeth's statement "that there is no possible way that the man and woman who abducted Carlos with the help of an attorney and the court were oblivious to the facts of this case."
What these people did is disgusting. And the judge's comments are repulsive.
Posted by: Gregg at May 4, 2009 10:27 AM