Families in Limbo as Cambodian Adoptions Blocked

Aug. 9, 2002 -- When actress Angelina Jolie and now-estranged husband Billy Bob Thornton adopted a beautiful little Cambodian boy, Maddox, in May their story brought new attention to the plight of Cambodian orphans.

But while these movie stars had no trouble bringing a needy child into their home, families who aren't in the media spotlight haven't been so lucky in their efforts to adopt Cambodian children.

Last October, Jeff and Karen Fleming had flown half way around the world and were bouncing down a long trail toward the orphanage to meet their new daughter.

These were days filled with pure joy. At this point, there wasn't the slightest hint of trouble. Isabel had been living in an orphanage outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, for more than a year. When they met Isabel, she was everything they had imagined — a bright, happy, 2 ½-year-old. The Flemings, however, had no idea that their dream of a happy family with Isabel was in jeopardy.

Greg and Kim Sferes had gone through a process similar to that of the Flemings. And that same day they had happily picked up their new daughter, Sorya.

Increasingly Popular Adoption Spot

In the last few years, Cambodia has become one of the most popular places for American couples to adopt a baby. Warfare and political violence in the Southeast Asian nation have contributed to a surplus of infant orphans. Compared with the adoption process in the United States, the procedures to adopt a Cambodian child can be completed quickly. The paperwork to complete a Cambodian adoption can be done in as few as three months.

More than 400 American couples had adopted Cambodian children in 2001 without a hitch.

The Flemings and the Sfereses had expected their adoption effort to be similarly trouble-free. With their formal adoption decrees from the Cambodian government in hand, and temporary Cambodian passports for their babies, the couples expected to be in Cambodia for only a few days.

To their surprise, their troubles began when they arrived at the U.S. Embassy to request visas permitting their new children to enter the United States. What they thought was a mere formality became a nightmare.

They were told that their adoptions were fraudulent. Greg Sferes said he was shocked. "I thought it was a dream, what was happening," he told 20/20's Tom Jarriel.

The couples soon discovered they were among a select group of 12 families about to fight a heart-wrenching battle. Their unlikely adversaries were the very people they were supposed to be able to count on in a foreign country: their own U.S. Embassy.

They were told allegations had surfaced that some orphanages were possibly involved in baby trafficking — coercing, buying or even stealing babies from birth mothers. They were told that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was investigating the director of the orphanage.

In the end, 20/20's own investigation found there was no proof that the babies had been improperly adopted. In fact, the INS never even looked for the children's birth mothers. Their case was based instead on what they said were forged documents. But as we reported back in December 2001, INS investigators never even talked to anyone with ultimate responsibility for those disputed documents.

After six weeks in Cambodia, the INS ruled against the adoptive parents. With jobs and homes threatened in the States, all but three of the 12 families were forced say goodbye to the children they loved as their own.

Report Spurs Washington Into Action

After 20/20 reported on their dilemma, reaction came swiftly and at a high level. Phones rang all over Washington, and there was outrage in the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and many other members of Congress demanded action. Landrieu was one of several legislators who called INS Commissioner James Ziglar directly.

Landrieu said she told Ziglar that the problem was a "public relations nightmare," adding, "no member of Congress is going to be able to explain to our constituents how our government could give 19 visas to men who came into this country and blew up the World Trade tower, but we can't give visas to hard-working Americans who pay taxes, for them to not get visas to bring starving children into their families."

The INS quickly got the message. About 48 hours after the 20/20 broadcast, the agency reversed itself, called the families and offered them a humanitarian parole for their babies.

But parole isn't a visa. There are still strings attached. Nonetheless, at last, the INS said they could bring their children home.

Help Only for Those in the Spotlight?

For the families 20/20 focused on in its report, things continue to be positive. The Sfereses have brought their daughter, Sorya, home to Maine. In Pennsylvania, the Flemings' daughter Isabel is thriving.

But things are not so happy for all the families who want to bring Cambodian orphans into their homes. Hundreds of babies and the families' they'd been matched with were left in limbo last December when the INS abruptly suspended all adoptions from Cambodia — saying it needed to root out the fraud in the system.

So how did movie star Jolie come to bring home a beautiful Cambodian boy this spring? The INS says Jolie was just one of about 130 prospective adoptive parents, whose applications were cleared because they had already begun the process before the suspension. An INS spokesman says because of public scrutiny, the agency bent over backwards to insure that her case was thoroughly investigated. And it says it will get to the rest of the cases in the pipeline as soon as it can make arrangements with the Cambodian government.

That is cold comfort for dozens more American families whose Cambodian babies are still languishing in orphanages half a world away.