Sen. Landrieu leads fourth delegation to Guatemala on adoption issue

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) has arrived in Guatemala on her fourth congressional trip in the past two years to spark progress on stalled adoption cases.

While U.S. adoptions from the Central American nation used to be commonplace, Guatemala banned the practice in 2008 following reports of corruption and other illegal practices. The ban has left some 350 adoptions in limbo, and Landrieu, the founding co-chairwoman of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, has taken the lead in trying to resolve them. 

This time, she's accompanied by the State Department's Special Adviser for Children's Issues Susan Jacobs, the Obama administration announced Monday. The delegation includes officials from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“While U.S. citizens have adopted thousands of Guatemalan orphans in the past, Guatemala announced in 2008 that it would not accept any new adoption cases,” the State Department said in a statement. “Processing of transition cases slowed dramatically in 2010. The Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Office of Children’s Issues and the U.S. Embassy are working with the Guatemalan authorities to resolve the remaining cases.”

Landrieu has also traveled to Africa, Asia and Western Europe to help adoptions by U.S. citizens.

---