If
you have adopted from Ethiopia, the US Embassy or the Department of State may
have information about your child that you have not seen or are not aware of,
regardless of whether it is accurate or not. This can include interviews with
birth family members, witnesses, police officers, and other individuals who were
involved in your child's life before he or she came home. Even if your adoption
went smoothly, it may offer tidbits about your child's life. The US Embassy uses
this information and the information you submitted to make the decision on your
I-600 petition, and then they keep it on file. However, they will not usually
release the details to you unless you submit a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act)
request. They may have nothing, or they may have a lot. It is worth it to find
out. Here's how:
