FIGHT FOR GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS
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Roni Norton walked off the plane in Mexico with her 9-year-old granddaughter Adriana.
She left two days later without her.
The state of Oregon sent Adriana to live with a man she barely knew. Her father.
She left behind her younger sister, older brother and the support network that helped her find stability after three years in foster care. She didn't speak Spanish. She had never even visited Mexico. She grew up in Estacada.
Yet the protections of Oregon's child welfare system ended the day she met her father at the airport in the Yucatan capital of Merida. Within weeks, her relatives in Mexico started to notice the bruises on her skin.
Norton is afraid she may never see her granddaughter again. She thinks back to the day, seven months ago, when she hugged her goodbye in Merida.
"She kept telling me, 'Don't leave me, Nana. You're still going to love me, right?'"
The system that put Adriana in harm's way is supposed to protect children but also try to keep families together. Her case exposes how even policies with the best intentions can sometimes go horribly awry for children. And when those kids are sent to foreign countries, there's little their frantic families can do. Oregon immediately severs ties with kids sent to parents overseas.
International placements of Oregon children came under scrutiny a decade ago, when preschooler Adrianna Romero Cram was killed by her adoptive aunt and uncle in Mexico. The agency rarely places children with relatives in other countries -- except for parents. Adriana was one of five Oregon children sent to live with parents in foreign countries last year, and one of 92 since 2011. International treaties and laws uphold parental rights as sacrosanct.
At first, social workers planned to place Adriana and her siblings with Norton at her home in Everett, north of Seattle. The kids were taken from Norton's daughter in 2013.
When Adriana's father said he wanted custody, the Department of Human Services sided with him. A judge's order made it final.
By law, the state must reunite children with parents who can provide minimally adequate care, even when a parent was never part of the child's life.
Adriana's family in the U.S. believes the state prioritized his rights over hers. They point to a trail of red flags that should have raised concerns about her father long before she boarded the plane.
To be sure, strict privacy laws prevent child welfare officials from explaining their decision or from providing a more complete picture of Adriana's case. In a written statement, Andrea Cantu-Schomus, a Department of Human Services spokeswoman, said the agency "follows state and federal laws in all reunification cases whether the placement is in-state, out-of-state or out-of-country."
Adriana's relatives said they felt social workers excluded or misinformed them throughout the legal process. Norton said she was told she had no right to testify, despite a 2013 bill that ensured that exact thing.
Social workers assured them they would monitor Adriana for six months, the relatives say, and they had no idea about the agency's policy to exit the child's life immediately.
Adriana's family in the U.S. lost contact with her about the same time Mexican child welfare officials received a report of her abuse. Neighbors also told officials her father abused drugs. The current status of any legal proceedings in Mexico is unclear.
Oregon officials keep telling Norton there is nothing they can do.
"They just discarded this little girl," she said, breaking down in tears. "I just don't understand."
Rhonda "Roni" Norton looks at photos of her granddaughter Adriana on a laptop computer. Adriana was relocated to live with her father in Mexico in August 2016 after three years in Oregon foster care. Norton cared for the girl at her home in Everett, Washington, for the last of those years. Now Norton is worried about Adriana's welfare. Dave Killen/Staff
Dave Killen | The Oregonian/OregonLive
She left two days later without her.
The state of Oregon sent Adriana to live with a man she barely knew. Her father.
She left behind her younger sister, older brother and the support network that helped her find stability after three years in foster care. She didn't speak Spanish. She had never even visited Mexico. She grew up in Estacada.
Yet the protections of Oregon's child welfare system ended the day she met her father at the airport in the Yucatan capital of Merida. Within weeks, her relatives in Mexico started to notice the bruises on her skin.
Norton is afraid she may never see her granddaughter again. She thinks back to the day, seven months ago, when she hugged her goodbye in Merida.
"She kept telling me, 'Don't leave me, Nana. You're still going to love me, right?'"
The system that put Adriana in harm's way is supposed to protect children but also try to keep families together. Her case exposes how even policies with the best intentions can sometimes go horribly awry for children. And when those kids are sent to foreign countries, there's little their frantic families can do. Oregon immediately severs ties with kids sent to parents overseas.
International placements of Oregon children came under scrutiny a decade ago, when preschooler Adrianna Romero Cram was killed by her adoptive aunt and uncle in Mexico. The agency rarely places children with relatives in other countries -- except for parents. Adriana was one of five Oregon children sent to live with parents in foreign countries last year, and one of 92 since 2011. International treaties and laws uphold parental rights as sacrosanct.
At first, social workers planned to place Adriana and her siblings with Norton at her home in Everett, north of Seattle. The kids were taken from Norton's daughter in 2013.
When Adriana's father said he wanted custody, the Department of Human Services sided with him. A judge's order made it final.
By law, the state must reunite children with parents who can provide minimally adequate care, even when a parent was never part of the child's life.
Adriana's family in the U.S. believes the state prioritized his rights over hers. They point to a trail of red flags that should have raised concerns about her father long before she boarded the plane.
To be sure, strict privacy laws prevent child welfare officials from explaining their decision or from providing a more complete picture of Adriana's case. In a written statement, Andrea Cantu-Schomus, a Department of Human Services spokeswoman, said the agency "follows state and federal laws in all reunification cases whether the placement is in-state, out-of-state or out-of-country."
Adriana's relatives said they felt social workers excluded or misinformed them throughout the legal process. Norton said she was told she had no right to testify, despite a 2013 bill that ensured that exact thing.
Social workers assured them they would monitor Adriana for six months, the relatives say, and they had no idea about the agency's policy to exit the child's life immediately.
Adriana's family in the U.S. lost contact with her about the same time Mexican child welfare officials received a report of her abuse. Neighbors also told officials her father abused drugs. The current status of any legal proceedings in Mexico is unclear.
Oregon officials keep telling Norton there is nothing they can do.
"They just discarded this little girl," she said, breaking down in tears. "I just don't understand."
Rhonda "Roni" Norton looks at photos of her granddaughter Adriana on a laptop computer. Adriana was relocated to live with her father in Mexico in August 2016 after three years in Oregon foster care. Norton cared for the girl at her home in Everett, Washington, for the last of those years. Now Norton is worried about Adriana's welfare. Dave Killen/Staff
Dave Killen | The Oregonian/OregonLive
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Roni Norton
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Everett, WA
