First Impressions of US Embassy Cables from Guatemala UPDATED
Our book review of Finding Fernanda, the expose on Guatemala adoptions, was published on November 1, 2011. You can see it here.
The author, Erin Siegal, had filed for US embassy cable information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) a few years prior and received them around the time of the book publishing.
She bound those together and Amazon.com has them for purchase to a Kindle or kindle-pc download (if you don’t have a Kindle) for $9.99. I purchased the 1995-2002 Cables (Volume 2) at http://www.amazon.com/The-U-S-Embassy-Cables-ebook/dp/B0073XEQ9S/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_4
Volume 1 from 1987 to 1994 is also available for $9.99 download or you can purchase the book for $40. We expect to give impressions on other volumes at a later date.
If you want to see the real dirt and corruption on Guatemala, I do recommend getting one of the versions. It is not a smooth read and some cables are not in exact chronological order, but it is patently obvious that the troubles ran deep and that adoptees will need to have some serious searching to do in the future if they want their real histories.
Stolen children, murdered parents to get children, US citizens trying to pass off babies as their own when they are obviously NOT the parents yet USE helps them ADOPT, cries from USE post to DOS that mandatory DNA was necessary did not matter to our own government-they just kept allowing the adoptions to occur and more…. If anyone seriously believes that our government has EVER “proved” that IAs are ethical, hopefully reading this will finally quash that. These cables are MUCH WORSE than Finding Fernanda book and I have only looked at volume 2.
If you adopted from Guatemala, you had better look at the cables for the sake of your child. These cables indicate some children may really be from El Salvador, Honduras or Mexico!
The following are some of my rough notes and impressions:
- In 1995, the cables indicate that more than four years ago USE started interviewing natural mothers.
- A Guatemalan attorney suggested DNA and Genetic design inc out of Greensboro, NC was selected. The first result of a birthmother’s DNA proved that the alleged mother was an “imposter.”
- USE claims that DNA was only done then if”historically accurate indicators of fraud” which include later registrations of birth, mothers who know little to nothing about the child or birth or sketchy documentation of mother’s identity.
- US agency Semillas de AMOR of NJ wanted ALL cases to have DNA checked because facilitators and attorneys had taken large advances for adoptions that never were completed.
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Of 49 cases at one point, 29 passed, 4 did not and others were pending. A common statistic quoted throughout has a 5% failure rate but there were caveats to that which I will get to in further points.
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There is a case in which a 5-year-old was coerced and 3-year-old was stolen from a bio mom. This is just one piece of evidence that dispels the myth that only babies are trafficked.
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They discuss Ms. Moure-Domecq of Paraguay and facilitator Jorge Cruz. Someone by the name of Ucles is associated with them. It took $10-12,000 to initiate the adoption and that money was split between Moure-Domecq and some unnamed Guatemalan attorney.
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Quote that the USE welcomed the role of being International Adoption advocates
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Imposter mothers were disposed of and natural mothers are wondering where their children are.
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Semillas de AMOR “mothers” met “untimely and violent deaths”
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Case of a child that seemed underdeveloped and covered in parasites and bone scan said child 6 months younger and therefore alleged birthmother relinquished was found not to be true birthmother.
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October 1995 case-Prospective child going to Cleveland-TWO false genetic tests!APs request Humanitarian Parole! Guatemala said that child was not legally adopted in Guatemala.They talk about Congressional involvement and how USE MUST follow laws. Then talk about IF ONLY attorney had applied for abandonment instead of relinquishment THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROVED!TURNS OUT MIDWIFE FALSELY POSED AS BIRTHMOTHER! PAP and their attorney want the actual DNA tests which was supposedly not allowed by INS rules. Attorney name William R Rosner of Cleveland. Guatemalan attorney Fernando Linares. Linares claims that because DNA test done in US and not in Guatemala(due to Guatemala not having the capabilities) that the DNA eveidence should be DROPPED! [Basically they are saying to take the word of the false midwife over DNA]
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1995 Report from suburb of Guatemala City (Amatitlan) that possible biological mother identified and daughter stolen in Jan 1993!(this is a 2 year old /older child adoption). USE questions whether this biological mother would want the child adopted or returned to her! The child was KIDNAPPED and USE is questioning whether the child should be returned in an official CABLE!
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Dec 95-Congressman Sawyer’s office is referenced as requesting that a particular child to leave Guatemala regardless of the outcome of the DNA tests and investigation.
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Nov 96- A Guatemalan attorney is refusing to return a prospective adoptive child to its birth mother despite her repeated attempts to regain custody. Instead the attorney who has already physically threatened the mother is lying to his US clients he had attempted to return the child not that she had refused to take custody, Mother said this in front of USE officer. Child put in orphanage. This was done so the attorney could proceed with an abandonment process.Mother did not try to gain custody BECAUSE SHE DISAPPEARED!
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Nov 96 –Guatemalan attorney charging $15,000 for the case and USE admits that is why he is threatening the birthmother. They go on to spell out how in a disappeared mother case, the attorney can bide his time for 1 year and re-file as abandonment case and get the adoption approved.They say how the “attorney will not suffer any negative consequences.” USE then goes on to blame the APs who won’t accept “the fact that the birth mother has changed her mind and will no longer consent to adoption, the US family is misdirecting its energies, maintaining false hopes and at the same time demanding precious and scarce adoption unit resources by forcing us to defend the mother’s decision and our own actions.”
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Another case in Nov 96- in natural mother interview, the mother said that she wants to raise her child. Guatemalan attorney threatened her WITH JAIL but mother still signed that she did NOT agree to relinquish. USE has no evidence, though, that attorney returned the child to the mother.
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Nov 96 -page 46 upsurge of fraudulent cases [Impression: These cables are bizarre in that they at times are theatrical calling one case David vs Goliath and another Nov 96 references Dr. Seuss Are you my mother? book. At this point, they estimate 5% of cases are complete fraud. At the same time, they admit that sophisticated fraud is “difficult to detect”.]
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Nov 96-imposter mothers just “disappear” now that DNA is being used sometimes.
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Page 65- again it is mentioned that Guatemalan attorneys make $10-15,000 per child and that they are a powerful lobby that is protecting status quo.“There is great room for corruption and unethical practices, including coercing mothers to surrender babies. The concern of the US adoption agencies and the local attorneys is that if the centralized “UNICEF” model, used in almost all other Latin American countries, is adopted, Guatemala will see the same reduction or disappearance in adoptions as was seen in Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador”
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Sep 97 (pages 66-67) discussion about rights of the child law passage and USE concern that adoptive families may have to prove that their child is afforded the same rights in the US. Freedom of movement and religion and ability to seek refuge are a few rights listed.
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Page 67-USE anticipates “extensive congressional interest” if Guatemalan program was put on hold.
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Sep 97 page 68- stolen babies in the news again. Page 69 says that Susan de Umana (wife of the former president of the supreme court) is being accused of “questionable dealings” and that a judge has ordered children to one specific orphanage Associacion Los Ninos de Guatemala, which Susan runs. Allegations of a “band” of people who steal children in Mexico and Honduras and bring them to Guatemala to be registered in civil registry of San Marcos is also detailed.
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Page 69 makes a comment about how there is “smoke” in the accusations but little “proof” BUT they go on to say that the reason for no proof is because cases lie dormant for years allowing attorneys to not be held accountable and blame is instead placed on the imposter mothers.
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Nov 97 ,page 71: again talks about natural mother interviews and DNA for those “appearing to be” dishonest. They re-state the 5% fraud /2% imposter mother statistic BUT also state “However, we cannot be certain that imposter birth mothers are not slipping past us.” They discuss mandatory DNA to help some fraud, but admit that doesn’t help deter baby buying.
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Dec 97-DOS denies a process of mandatory DNA testing that was requested by the USE post due to high costs and processing delays [Only concerned about money, not local people!]
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Jan 98 page 83–“increasingly difficult to tell the difference between fraudulent and authentic identity documents. For $200 or less a new identity can be bought…Guatemalan immigration could easily issue a valid passport in a false identity”
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Page 84: 3 out of 24 birthmother DNA samples failed matching the child that quarter (that is a rate of 12.5%-so even though they continue to say 5%, their subjective selection of birthmother DNA already was showing 12.5%)
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Jan 98, page 84: two problem adoption cases from attorney Robert Vallecillos-birthmothers pressured to relinquish. Page 88 goes into further details that if the birthmother wants to keep child he would tell them that they had to go to court(a lie as that was not required) in a form of intimidation.
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June 98, page 88: USE requests to revoke Vallecillos nonimmigrant visa and not process 14 kids visas of cases in progress.Page 89: unlikely Guatemalan government to indict him and of the 14 kids they can only find information on THREE. One from “adoption and associates” one from “children adoption network” and one from “Christian World Adoption”-two other cases under investigation for fraud so they won’t process these.
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May 99 page 90: American man tried to pass off Guatemalan’s child as his alien resident wife’s child.
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Sep 98 page 93: Summary “Post was contacted by a Guatemalan National [name redacted] who claimed that his daughter had been given up for adoption by his wife to an American couple without his knowledge and consent. Investigation of post records revealed that a child matching the description given by Mr. [name redacted] had been adopted and issued an immigrant visa. Mr [name redacted] was murdered shortly after he was interviewed by a consular officer regarding the case.”
It goes onto say that attorneys arranging the adoption were Luis de la Rosa and Maria Garcia and the US adoption agency was Island Coast International . The dad was shot outside his home by 3 men.
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Oct 98 page 95-new rule-INS no longer interviews birthmothers and DNA is task of Guatemalan attorneys. Page 96: US panel physicians are taking the samples for DNA .
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Jan 99 ,page 97 : American woman and alien resident husband tried to pass off an indigenous child as their own. USE helps them try to adopt the child by giving list of attorneys [Anyone else find this to be CRAZY? Obviously they don’t care of where this baby came from.]Woman claimed to be a missionary and even though her name was redacted in most parts, I think they accidentally forgot to redact her name in one sentence “Ms Fazenbaker” is the name given. There are several Fazenbaker missionary names when you google Guatemala and missionary. USE has a comment asking whether they should continue the policy of NOT referring these cases to Guatemalan authorities!!!
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Aug 98, page 98: discusses the cases of Vallecillos and there is a letter from Senator Spencer Abraham asking about his constituent’s case.
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Apr 99 ,page 99: a 56-year-old American man and his 43-year-old spouse try to pass off a child as theirs born after 7 months gestation . USE comments that “The child did not resemble petitioners” Again, this couple was referred to how to adopt the baby! Woman finally comes clean that this was a baby of a woman with 6 kids and the birthmother was FROM EL SALVADOR.
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Aug 3 2000 ,page 102: Summit adoption agency and attorney Carlos Alberto Munez Solares are discussed.
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Feb 02, page 103: USE letter to DC talking about more Guatemalan news exposes and they say “I am sure you will agree that the last thing that we want to do is to shut down or curtail adoptions” [REALLY? After all of this, you continue to want to keep a country open that has documented MURDERS of people associated with US adoptions!]
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On page 103 and 104, USE quotes the newspaper article figure of 1000 children trafficked in 2000 and 2001 for two purposes –Adoption and prostitution. That article talks about how US and European agencies find local agents for “human product”, a website in Los Angeles selling babies for $22,000 and that 10 attorneys have ties to criminal networks. They speak of a website tcadoption.org and how a list of 24 missing kids has been forwarded on with one being located in the US. Page 105 talks of the links between Salvadoran children and other Latin American children and Guatemala.
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Feb 02 page 107-again USE seems to care about business of 1000s of APs wanting to adopt though they mention rights of the local children and families. It is pretty sad that the moral dilemma is unclear to them. They cite both the Catholic Church and UNICEF asking for reforms that would likely end adoptions. [Usually just UNICEF is called out as wanting reforms.]
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Page 108-increasingly seeing women from Honduras and El Salvador giving birth in Guatemala and relinquishing.
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I will close with this page 111 USE comment: “If we cannot come up with the resources to investigate the suspicious cases in a timely manner, however, we need to consider the consequences of being accused of abetting baby trafficking some day.”
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update: “Erin Siegal, Senior Fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, recently donated one bankers-size box of documents about US citizens’ adoptions of Guatemalan children and adoption fraud to the National Security Archive.
These documents are the result of over thirty FOIA requests Ms. Siegal filed with the Department of State, Customs and Border Patrol, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the CIA. The requests asked for information as far back as 1980 and cover a variety of topics, ranging from information on the Casa Quivira issue (in which 46 babies were seized from a Guatemalan adoption agency due to accusations of adoption fraud), to US embassy communications regarding Celebrate Children International (a US organization imputed to have acted in violation of conditions the Hague Convention set regarding the adoptability of children).
Of particular interest in the declassified documents is information on the extent of adoption fraud in Guatemala, what the United States knew about it, and the US’s attempts to combat the problem. According to Department of State cables dating back as far as 1987, adoption fraud in Guatemala had been a lucrative business for some time. Lawyers in the country turned huge profits arranging the international adoptions of kidnapped children, women were paid to masquerade as mothers abandoning their “children” so that the children could be put up for adoption, and by March 2010, 29,400 Guatemalan children had found their way into American homes. That meant that one in every one hundred babies born in Guatemala was growing up in the US, and the adoption industry in Guatemala had become a $100 million industry.
The documents also contain information on the involvement of US-based organizations in the problem. Certain US adoption agencies with operations or relationships in Guatemala became involved in the scandal, including International Adoption Resources, which was implicated in smuggling Guatemalan children out of the country, after three mothers came forward and attested to selling their children for 750 dollars apiece.
Some documents of note in the files include:
- A 9 August 2005 cable discussing a major Guatemalan newspaper’s critique of the adoption system in Guatemala, including the means of adoption fraud and abusing the system (see image)
- A 5 November 1996 cable discussing the increase in the number of cases using impostor mothers as a means of perpetrating adoption fraud
A Market for Children: Adoption Fraud in Guatemala
[Unredacted 3/28/13 by Ariel Gould]
I am sick of this. DOS does NOT care one iota how Americans are adopting overseas.