J's Cafe Nette

Ten Southern Baptist “missionaries” went to Haiti to try to give a new life to the newly orphaned children in that earthquake-ravaged country.

They claimed to have proper paperwork but that’s in dispute, since adoptions were stopped for people who did not already have approval for adoption before the earthquake hit.

The original plan was to build an orphanage in neighboring Dominican Republic and the parents could visit, but with the intention of eventually getting these children adopted by American families.

At least nine of the people are innocent. Whether the lady who headed up the mission knowingly disregarded legalities is still in question.

Right now these ten people of good will are in a Haitian jail and will be tried. Our country as a government, as a people and as organizations have been to Haiti and continue to be there to help those who need it the most.

Some of the children’s parents said they thought their children were going to the Dominican Republic to get away from all the destruction and turmoil in their own country and allowed them to go. Other children’s distant relatives brought the children to the workers, telling them both parents were dead and they could not care for them.

Even though the orphanage is not completed, the ten people tried to take the children to safety. I doubt anyone thinks they wanted to engage in child trafficking, although appearances don’t always tell a story.

Now they sit in jail awaiting trial and sentencing.

Our government should exert as much pressure as possible to free these Americans (at least the nine who were not in charge) as a goodwill gesture to the nation that has helped Haiti more than any other country on earth.

The intent to take them to the DR is certain, but it didn’t happen, and no harm was actually done. I’ve seen videos of these people (at least one a young teen) and they seem credible to me. They wanted what was best for the children.

It could very well be that the State Department is in negotiations to get these people out of Haiti. I hope so. Even the leader, who may or may not have deceived the others, has learned from this experience and I doubt she will try anything like this again.

Many will disagree with me because what they did was illegal, but in a country whose jails were destroyed and regular criminals are once again roaming the streets, it seems they can free up some jail space and deport these people under the condition they never return to Haiti.

I welcome your thoughts, even if they are not the same as mine.

Tweet This Post

One Response to “The U.S. Government Has to Get the Missionaries out of the Haitian Jail”