WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), co-chair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, sent a letter on January 15 to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting that the State Department consider the needs of the previously and newly orphaned children as a principal concern in the wake of the devastation in Haiti.

“It is absolutely critical that we provide all the relief we can to the orphaned children of Haiti,” Inhofe said. “Those children that were orphaned prior to this tragedy and the children newly orphaned because of this tragedy are the earthquake’s most vulnerable victims. Therefore, I am very pleased to join Senator Landrieu and Congressman Cooper in sending this letter to the State Department expressing the necessity of appropriate and speedy relief for the orphans in Haiti.”

Inhofe sent the letter to Secretary of State Clinton requesting that the Department of State exercise broad discretion in the issuance of humanitarian parole and temporary visas for orphaned children who have connections (adoption or familial) with American families and to identify opportunities for orphaned children to receive temporary care and shelter within the U.S.
 
Following the delivery of the letter, on Tuesday, January 19, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, announced a humanitarian parole policy allowing orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States temporarily on an individual basis to ensure that they receive the care they need—as part of the U.S. government’s ongoing support of international recovery efforts after last week’s earthquake.
 
Humanitarian parole will be applied on a case-by-case basis to the following children:
 
- Children who have been legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the Government of Haiti and are being adopted by U.S. citizens.
 
- Children who have been previously identified by an adoption service provider or facilitator as eligible for intercountry adoption and have been matched to U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents.