Senator Amy Klobuchar

Working for the People of Minnesota

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Joel Gross
Press Secretary
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Amy in the News

Minn. Family's Adoption Of Nepal Child Put On Hold

WCCO

October 11, 2010

When Cherie Beumer made it to Nepal in August to bring the child home, she was told the U.S. State Department stopped all adoptions of children.

A Minnesota couple excited about the newest addition to their family now finds themselves separated by thousands of miles.

Cherie Beumer left Minnesota in August to pick up her new daughter in Nepal. But while she was there, the U.S. banned all adoptions from that country.

Her husband Todd Beumer and their son Alex Beumer, adopted from Nepal in 2005, work hard to keep the Collegeville Orchard in good shape during this busy season. While they keep the farm up, Cherie Beumer and young Maya are halfway around the globe, waiting for permission to come home.

"Typically with international adoptions, a lot of the delays are from the foreign governments. This is kind of a new one where it's our government holding everything up," said Todd Beumer.

Todd Beumer said he and his wife began the process to adopt Maya in January 2007.

When she made it to Nepal in August to bring the child home, she was told the U.S. State Department stopped all adoptions of children.

"They want to make sure there is no corruption in Nepal adoptions. Make sure that the children that are to be adopted are truly abandoned," said Beumer.

For the past seven-and-a-half weeks, Cherie Beumer has lived in Nepal with Maya, trying to wade through the red tape so Maya can meet her new father and brother.

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has been working with other lawmakers to help reunite the family.

"You just can't do this at the 11th hour and take a child away from a family that is going to provide a loving home for that child," said Klobuchar.

The Beumers are one of 80 U.S. families in Nepal trying to bring adopted children home.

Klobuchar said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are working to reunite the families.

Todd and Alex Beumer say they miss their mother and little sister so much, they plan to travel to Nepal in November for a visit.

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