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Saturday, March 13, 2010   42º F

Updated 02/09/2010 06:10 AM

Family waits to adopt Haitian children

By: Allison Lazarz

A Cicero family is struggling to understand why their soon-to-be sons in Haiti still haven't been sent to the United States. After the earthquake that hit Haiti, Paul and Julie Rumo were told the three brothers would soon be brought into the U.S. But as our Allison Lazarz tells us, the couple has been stuck in Florida for nearly two weeks waiting for the boys to arrive.

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CICERO, N.Y. -- If you read the Rumo family's online blog, you'd begin to understand their frustrations as of late. Since about January 20th, the couple has been in Miami, Florida, hoping the three children they're adopting from Haiti would arrive in the U.S. But since January 20th, all they've been able to do is wait.

"UNICEF wants to make sure, with the Haitian government, that the children that are leaving are not going to be sold into slavery or involved in child trafficking. The Prime Minister has requested and required that all children leaving Haiti, he needs to know where they're going and who is going," said Paul Rumo.

The Rumos weren't expecting to adopt their new sons until this summer. After the earthquake that hit Haiti last month, they were told the process was being sped up. But the last two weeks since the Rumos were told their sons would be arriving soon, have been anything but speedy.

"Emotionally, it's exhausting, financially, it's exhausting. The cost associated with just being here -- food, lodging, travel and it's really takes a toll on you," said Rumo.

"Any day now" is what the Rumo's keep hearing. They've been told their children are on the list the Prime Minister of Haiti will sign, they just don't know when.

"We know we're close, we know we're days, weeks-- I don't even want to say months but we know we're close to getting the boys. If it's not today, maybe it's tomorrow," said Rumo.

The State Department has told the Rumos and other families waiting for Haitian children not to go to Haiti, but to instead wait patiently in the U.S.

Adding to the Rumo family's struggles, Paul Rumo recently lost his job. And Julie Rumo has been unsuccessfully trying to leave Florida to be with the rest of her family in Cicero for days, but hasn't been able to leave Miami because of the bad weather in the mid-Atlantic.