Families trying to adopt children encounter dysfunction in Haiti and red tape in U.S.
Some American families began the adoption process for their children years ago. But with the violence in the capitol, many young children remain stuck there.
When in October 2022 Michelle Reed brought home from Haiti two adopted sons after a grueling five-and-a-half year process, she didn’t know they had a younger brother in the orphanage they just left.
Determined to keep the siblings together, Reed, who lives in Florida, started the adoption process for Esai, 6. Haiti’s central adoption authority, L’Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches, or IBESR, approved the request in 2023, stressing the importance of keeping families united.
In the time since, Reed has been in regular contact with Esai, building a bond through Zoom calls and letters. But it all changed in March, when the political and social crisis in Haiti reached a new high and embroiled the capital, Port-au-Prince, in heavy violence. IBESR’s office was vandalized by gangs and had to temporarily cease operations.
Michelle Reed with her children, including the two boys adopted from Haiti.Courtesy Michelle Reed“We have a video of the attack,” Reed said. “It’s horrible. All the paperwork and files were spread across the street, containing personal information about us and our children,” she said. The destruction of vital documents has severely delayed the adoption process for many, leaving many families in limbo.
On March 22, the U.S. State Department told Reed and other families in the process of adopting from Haiti that it would expedite the evacuation of their children. Weeks later, the State Department seemingly reversed course, stating that families would have to complete the adoption process in Haiti before their children could come to the U.S.
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