Alana and Justin Carroll adopted two Congolese boys in March, 3-year old Canaan and 2-year old Neema.
As violence erupts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, five American families are refusing to budge until they’re allowed to bring their newly adopted Congolese children home.
The families say the adoptions were approved by Congo’s government and that the children were granted U.S. visas. Still, some of the parents have spent up to 80 days in the African country waiting for one last document—an exit letter signed by the country’s immigration minister that will let their children leave the country.
For Alana and Justin Carroll, new parents of 3-year-old Canaan and 2-year-old Neema, that one final signature means everything.
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Alana told The News that abandoning the children is not an option.
“They are legally my children,” Alana Carroll said from Jefferson City, Tenn. “They were raised orphans once and we’re not leaving them as orphans again.”
The Congolese government suspended international adoptions of Congolese children on Sept. 25, following allegations that some were mistreated by their adoptive parents, while others were “sold to homosexuals.”
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While the country promised to uphold adoptions that were approved before the Sept. 25 cut-off date, the immigration office has not committed to processing the grandfathered cases within any specific timeframe.
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Alana Carroll, a kindergarten teacher, is waiting in Jefferson City, Tenn. for her husband Justin to return from Congo with their two sons.
The Carrolls have been in limbo since their adoption was finalized in March.
The deeply religious couple had trouble conceiving a biological child. Alana, 28, believes that God calls on Christians to care for orphans, so she plans to adopt as many children as she can.
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The couple had gone on mission trips to Africa, so they decided to adopt children from DRC. A few months before they became Cannan and Neema’s parents, the Carrolls found out that Alana was pregnant.
Justin boarded a plane to Congo on Nov. 19, a few days before their biological daughter, Carson, was born in Jefferson City.
The dad has only seen his daughter on Skype, but Alana said he’s bonded with his two sons. “He’s been teaching them English and playing with them,” Alana said. “When he first arrived, they were closed off emotionally. But now they’re all over him, laughing and calling us Mama and Papa.”
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“You would never tell they’d been living at an orphanage,” Alana continued. “It’s rocked their world.”
But it’s been more than a month and her family still hasn’t made it home.
www.wbir.com
Alana Carroll gave birth to a daughter, Carson, while her husband was in Congo with their sons. The 28-year-old has always dreamed of a big family and has plans to adopt more children.
Chris and Erin Wallace, of Maryland, are facing a similar struggle. Erin has been in Congo with their adopted daughter Elaine since October. The mom stays inside most of the time, as the country deals with civil strife.
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“Today it seems a lot calmer. Yesterday, there was a lot of shooting going up and down the street,” Erin Wallace told WBAL-TV on Wednesday.
The five families have started a Facebook campaign to spread awareness about their situations. They are hoping to schedule a meeting between the U.S. Ambassador and Congo’s immigration office next week.
According to a State Department alert, Congo’s suspensions on adoptions is estimated to last one year.
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The Carrolls aren’t giving up without a fight.
“Justin’s not leaving Congo without our sons,” Alana said.
With News Wire Services
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