NEW FAMILIES IN VISA LIMBO
NEW FAMILIES IN VISA LIMBO
US BARRING VIET ADOPTED BABIES
By SELIM ALGAR
November 26, 2007 -- The crib had been assembled and the stuffed animals lovingly arranged, awaiting the arrival of 6-month-old Oliver, in the Queens apartment.
Writer David French and his wife, Chanin, couldn't wait to bring the boy, their newly adopted Vietnamese son, to their home in Jackson Heights from Hanoi last week. Parents for the first time, they were prepared for a special Thanksgiving.
But their dreams of parenthood have turned into a bureaucratic nightmare.
Despite having Oliver's adoption fully recognized by Vietnamese authorities in October, the Frenches were informed by US officials that the boy would be denied a visa and could not return with them to America.
The couple is not alone. More than 20 American families who adopted Vietnamese children in recent months have been prevented from bringing them home by US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The families remain marooned in Vietnam as they struggle to appeal their cases.
US officials, concerned about baby selling and general impropriety in the adoptions of Vietnamese children, have cited various reasons for denying the visas. Most rejections are based on irregularities in paperwork, including missing signatures or conflicting accounts of the children's histories.
"We are recognized as Oliver's parents," David French said. "Even the US officials accept that. They just won't give him a visa."
The couple's lawyer, Lynda Zengerle, represents seven families fighting to bring their kids home from Vietnam. Boosted at the time by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), she successfully lobbied on behalf of 12 couples who faced similar rejections in 2002.
"It makes me so angry," Zengerle said. "It's a dispute between the Vietnamese and US governments, and these families are stuck in the middle."
Zengerle also represents Tommi Sawyer of Millville, NJ, whose adopted Vietnamese daughter, Anabelle, was denied entry into the United States this month.
Sawyer, a single mother, said she had to return home to take care of her family business while the 5-month-old girl remains in Vietnam.
"I don't want her to spend her first Christmas in a foster home," she said.
David French, 41, returned to Queens last week to take care of business matters but will be on a flight Thursday to Hanoi to rejoin his wife.
He said he and his wife have leased an apartment in Hanoi.
"This has thrown our entire lives into disarray," he said. "But Oliver is an amazing kid, and that makes all of this worthwhile."