Haitian Orphan Expected to Be United With Norman Family Soon

A Norman family has received word their adopted son in Haiti will get clearance to come home.

Tuesday, January 19th 2010, 3:00 pm

By: News 9


By Colleen Chen, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- A Norman family has received word their adopted son in Haiti will get clearance to come home.   

The Presley family said the news came in a conference call with the Joint Council of International Children's Services. JCICS says Haitian orphans have been put into four categories.

Categories 1 and 2 will be granted Humanitarian Parole Visas.  The Presley's son falls into the first two categories.  Each child's paperwork will still be processed case by case, but Kathy Presley says the news is a big relief. 

"My head's been spinning since that phone call.  I'm in tears for the orphans who can't come, but overjoyed that Christopher is another step closer to coming home to us." 

The final details are still being arranged.  Preliminary plans indicate the JCICS is hoping to set up a warehouse in Port Au Prince as a safe haven for the orphans set to come to America. 

There is great concern that orphanages are being targeted by looters.  From the safe haven, orphans who already have families waiting for them in the United States will be flown to New York where families will be united with their adopted children.

The plans still have to be approved by the Department of Disaster and could change, but Presley says it sounds like everything will be expedited.  All their paperwork on Christopher has been scanned to the JCICS.

The Presleys have adopted from Haiti before. Their daughter Eliana came to Oklahoma from Haiti when she about 6 years old, years ago.  On a recent visit to Haiti, Eliana discovered her brother Christopher in an orphanage.  The Presley family immediately started to work on adopting him.

More on News9.com:

Norman Family Receives Word About Son In Haiti

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