From: anjali pawar <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, May 11, 2012 at 8:20 PM
Subject: Need urgent intervantion in Utah-indian adoptee named Kairi Shepherd faces likely deportation.
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Respected Honorable External Affairs Minister,
Ministry of External Affairs, India.
I have come to know about the case of theIndian Adoptee named Kairi Shepherd in a news paper report from The Salt LakeTribune.
Utah woman faces likely deportation afterlosing appeal Immigration » Only recourse for woman is petitioning the U.S.Supreme Court. By David Montero, First Published May 08 2012 07:20 pm • LastUpdated May 09 2012 01:33 pm
Her story says that “Kairi Shepherd was anorphan living in India when a Utah woman adopted her in 1982 — a seemingly goodturn of luck for the 3-month-old, which included her obtaining legal permanentresident status in the United States.
But when she was 8, her adoptive mother diedof cancer. When she was 17, she was arrested and convicted of felony checkforgery to fuel a drug habit. Now 30, she is facing likely deportation after a10th Circuit Court ruling Tuesday that upheld the federal government’s right toremove her from the country.” http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54072647-90/immigration-court-legal-shepherd.html.csp
To deport a adoptee, who is further alsosuffering from Multiple Sclerosis, is a gross violation of existing adoptionnorms and undoubly a huge human rights violation.
The fact of matter is that this girl isadopted from India and home study of the American parents had been done by theconcern American Adoption Agency who must have license of concern departmentby State of Utah. Possibly the same agency is today accredited by the IndianCentral Adoption Resource Authority. Such home study was endorsed by bothAmerican agency and the concerned Indian Diplomatic mission. Everything wasaccepted by both Parties.
It is incomprehensible why and how this girlcan be subjected to deportation. She doesn´t have any known family in India,has no contacts, has lost the ability to speak any Indian language and mightjust die due to her serious health ailment of Multiple Sclerosis, after beingthrown on Indian roads.
It needs a thorough investigation, why afterher adoption in the US, her citizenship status has not been adjusted.
Certainly this is not a case of an illegalimmigrant and Kairi Shepherd should under no circumstance be treated like thisby Indian authorities, who facilitated her migration to the United States.
In no case Indian authorities should allowthat this adoptee be deported back. She should be taken care of by USauthorities, and must be treated as per children who are legally adopted in theUS from India.
I remind you of the case of Jennifer Hayneswhich is pending in the Supreme Court of India and if we find that this girlhas been deported back, we will ensure that a similar case is being lodgedagainst Indian authorities and this girl being compensated and being taken careof by Indian authorities.
To subject adopted children to deportation, isa gross betrayal of, orphaned, abandoned, relinquished children, whosemigration to the US is facilitated by American and Indian authorities under the guise ofInter country Adoption.
We are aware of further similar cases and aslong children from India adopted by US parents are faced with the threat ofdeportation, adoptions from India to the US, should be halted altogether.
Anjali Pawar
Director, Sakhee (working on child Rights)
Flat no.6, Satyasainagar
Sr. no. 35/11/2, Dhanakwadi,
Pune -411043,
Maharashtra, India.
Mobile no. +919822206485
