If Irish couples have been illegally adopting Mexican children for years, why has the Irish government not caught on?
Carlos Lopez, the lawyer at the center of the adoption scandal, has been arranging private adoptions for Irish couples in Mexico for at least seven years and has been pictured in albums with families who traveled from Ireland to adopt. The fact that this has been going on for so long raises the question of whether the Irish government is also culpable to some extent.
This week the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement which reads, “Prospective adoptive parents have been advised by the Adoption Authority of Ireland not to enter into any private arrangements with individuals or private agencies in order to effect an adoption in Mexico.” This may be a case of closing the barn door once the horses have already bolted.
Legally, international adoption is a strictly regulated process. Mexican authorities stated that for Irish couples to adopt, all documentation must be sent by the ‘Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), or a body accredited by the AAI, to the Federal Central Authority.’ Moreover, Irish visa applicants must clearly state the purpose of their visit to Mexico and prospective adoptive parents are required to obtain an adoption visa.
If the adoption process was not being completed legally, this should have been flagged by the AAI or by Irish immigration officials when parents reentered the country with babies clearly not theirs by birth. However, it remains unclear whether the adoption documentation, which was processed in Colima, was faked or if genuine papers were obtained via bribery.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said: “The Embassy has requested details surrounding the circumstances of this case from the Mexican authorities.” To avoid the possibility of further cases, the Irish authority is now in talks with their Mexican counterparts to establish formal regulated adoption procedures between the two countries.