State of Florida Revokes License of Adoption Agency,

Adoptions in Guatemala: State of Florida Revokes License of Adoption Agency, 12/17/03

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The State of Florida suspended the license of the International Adoption Resources (IAR) agency in December 2003 when an Interpol arrest warrant was issued for one of IAR’s associates. IAR was recently implicated in an inquiry conducted by Costa Rican authorities involving the smuggling of Guatemalan babies into Costa Rica for adoption.

The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City is aware that there are families who were working with IAR and have pending adoption cases in Guatemala. Those pending cases in which the adoptive parent has already filed a power of attorney with the Guatemalan Government will be processed on a case-by-case basis, although the Embassy warns of delays as both the Procuradoria General de la Nacion (PGN) and Embassy scrutinize such cases for signs of fraud.

Concerned parents can engage different attorneys if they wish as the Guatemalan Government recognizes the attorney, not the agency, as the legal representative of a pending adoption. The U.S. Embassy has a general list of attorneys who are available to work with U.S. citizens on a variety of legal issues; however, neither the U.S. Embassy nor the Department of State can endorse a specific attorney.

The Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City (DHS/ICE) has indicated they will no longer accept new cases from IAR. Prospective adoptive parents are advised against accepting new referrals of Guatemalan children from IAR at this time.

As always, parents may direct inquiries to the embassy at Guatemala.adoptions@dhs.gov or adoptguatemala@state.gov.