Dem senators urge expansion of policy to bring Haitian orphans

[babylonsister]

Dem senators urge expansion of policy to bring Haitian orphans
By Roxana Tiron - 01/23/10 01:35 PM ET


Ten Democratic Senators are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to expand a humanitarian parole policy to let more Haitian orphans into the United States.

The senators, in a letter spearheaded by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), are urging Napolitano to expand the policy to allow orphans without any family in Haiti to live temporarily with close family members in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 18 extended the humanitarian parole policy for certain Haitian orphans, particularly those who have begun the process of being adopted by American families.

But the senators estimated that the policy as it stands would only affect 600 to 700 orphans, a small portion of Haitian orphans.

“It is estimated that Haiti was home to more than 350,000 orphans before the devastating January 12 earthquake. Many more children have lost their parents as a result of this catastrophic disaster,” the senators wrote to Napolitano on Friday.

The other signatories of the letter are Sens. John Kerry (Mass.), Benjamin Cardin (Md.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Richard Durbin (Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), Tim Johnson (S.D.), Roland Burris (Ill.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.).

more...

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/77659-dem-senators-urge-expansion-of-policy-to-bring-haitian-orphans-to-us

[Bobbieo]

1. Just make certain sexual predators are screened out.

[Warpy]

2. That should definitely be done ASAP

with the provision that the orphans need to live with family. Haiti likes to keep her children and has very strict adoption laws for that reason.