Washington D.C., Feb 6, 2010 / 08:26 am
As controversy continues to surround the 10 relief volunteers who tried to take Haitian children out of the devastated country without paperwork, the heads of five major Catholic agencies serving earthquake victims have outlined steps to ensure the protection of unaccompanied Haitian children.
Their recommendations came in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
The letter was signed by the leaders of Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., and the International Catholic Migration Commission.
Citing their own experience in caring for unaccompanied children, they advocated that certain processes be put into place before Haitian children are brought to the U.S. and placed in adoption proceedings.