Guatemala Adoptions 2013: Task Force Created To Expedite 115 Guatemalan Babies To US By Year's End

In 2007 the government in Guatemala put a stop to all foreign adoptions of babies from the Latin American country. Earlier this week the Guatemalan ambassador to the United States announced he planned to help get the pending adoptions of 115 Guatemalan babies expedited so they can be with their adoptive American parents. Ambassador Julio Ligorria said in a letter to law makers in the United States that he hopes to have all 115 adoptions completed by the end of this year (three months from now).

Until 2007, when Guatemala froze all foreign adoptions, the country was the number one resource for American couples to adopt children. There were over 4,000 babies adopted from Guatemala each year before the government disallowed foreign couples from adopting after reports of illegal practices and abuses, including baby theft, became known. The United Nations created a study and analyzed 3,000 adoption cases. They found that a number of these cases contained fake birth certificates and other false documentation. The Guatemalan ambassador began working earlier this month with adoption lobbyist in order to get the ball rolling on the 115 adoptions.

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