The Tampa Tribune has been reporting (thanks to Chaina Turna for the tip) on the case of 22 year old Parita Patel who has been visiting the U.S. and is reportedly staying with some friends (while her husband and family remain in India).
Tears streamed down her face, a few falling to her lime green punjabi before she could wipe them away. Her friends tried to comfort her, patting her back and whispering condolences in Gujarati outside the courtroom at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.
Parita Patel, 22, just wanted her baby daughter. And she thought Friday she’d walk out holding little Krinna in her arms. She just had to get past a dependency hearing.
A visit with Krinna on Monday, arranged at a Florida Department of Children and Families office, may have given her false hope.
“I have not been sleeping,” she said. “I say to myself, `Tomorrow my baby may come with me.’ I wonder why this situation?”
In a matter of minutes, the hearing was over. Krinna wasn’t there. They weren’t going home together.
So what’s up? Why did the 13th order her baby into the system? Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) accused her of putting her baby in harms way.
A visitor from India, Patel gave birth prematurely on May 13 at Tampa General Hospital. Her 4 1/2 pound baby was in the neonatal unit for 18 days, with Patel staying close by at the Ronald McDonald House.
A caseworker asked her whether she had a home here. A job. Any way to support herself.
Patel said no to all.
DCF took the baby into foster care on May 31, accusing her in court of “prospective neglect” and her husband of abandonment.
But what the caseworker didn’t understand, Patel and her supporters said, is she is staying with friends who are giving her shelter, food to eat and everything she’d need to care for the baby. Her home and husband, Vikesh, are back in India.
…DCF wrote in court documents Patel isn’t a fit parent – she “found out she was pregnant on or about October 2004 but failed to have any prenatal care” and ignored “referrals to local homeless shelters.”
Going only on the details reported, this seems like a pretty ridiculous overreach by DCF. “Failed to have prenatal care?” Are you kidding me? Given the sad state of the healthcare system in this country, babies would be seized every few seconds if this was the criteria. You have to put this into context by remembering that the Florida DCF (and Jeb Bush) have been under assault for years because of incompetence and negligence in child services and foster care related matters (see here and here and here). The following is an excerpt from the last of these links:
When candidate [Jeb] Bush was running for Governor, he made a promise to fix the state’s child welfare agency. Bush had criticized Gov. Lawton Chiles’ handling of the department he would leave no child behind. But that’s exactly what happened. His administration headed by his appointee lost track of Rilya Wilson. He said, “I am the person…to provide a solution. That is my responsibility and I accept that.” So what does that really mean to him? Not a thing. It’s just something he says to appear to be responsible. Because to Jeb Bush, all that matters is what things appear to be like, not how things really are. So what does he say now – now that he’s failed miserably ? “In an imperfect world, with imperfect parents…”, Jeb said that we can’t blame his administration for these failures, now he says that government can’t do everything.
Around May 5, 2002, The Miami Herald has revealed that DCF paid a private company, the Pinellas County-based Florida Task Force for the Protection of Abused and Neglected Children, $4.8 million to investigate and close unresolved child abuse reports. The company was abruptly fired in March for poor performance.
The Tribune article has one quote in particular that got me thinking:
“This must be the first Indian baby taken into foster care,” translator Malti Pandya said Friday. “We are a big and supportive community.”
I wonder if that is really true.
How horrific– to have your child taken from you in a foreign land due to translation problems.
I’m quite sure I’ve never seen a ‘lime green punjabi.’ After one too many at the watering hole, maybe 🙂
This is a load of bukwas.. utter nonsense. I don’t know if this is the full story of why DCF took the kid away… although DCF people are 2 bits shy of being a poundcake. Honestly..some of the people who work for them are complete nitwits.
maybe it’s a guju thing … the dress she’s wearing in the picture, my mom always refers to as a “punjabi”. that’s all i know it as… what do other people call it?
i am still trying to process this story in my mind. horrid thing to have happen.
Interesting. That looks like a salwar kameez, but Punjabis don’t call gagra cholis ‘Gujaratis’ 🙂
Interesting story, and definitely very sad. But also definitely not a first. South Asians, with Indians numbering among them, have been a part of the foster care system in the past.
I think that immigrant families, especially working class, often struggle with the foster care/children’s services system, because it is so different from back home. Disciplining a child with any form of physical (or even verbal) measures can lead to serious charges, and in some instances, the breaking up of families.
There are definitely times when cultural, language, and immigration status issues have come into play and kids have been taken away from their families for the wrong reasons. There have also been cases when it was the right thing to do.
For more information, The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families has a publication that introduces the issue for policy-makers, as well as a guidebook in a number of langauges, for parents. You can find them, and other interesting publications about children and families, here.
Yep, family customs are the absolute core of the differences between desi and American cultures.
Granted it’s incorrect usage, but many Gujus do refer to a salwar kameez as a punjabi. However, I’m not sure how the reporter came up with that term.
At any rate, I don’t understand why the DCF makes flubs like this- I’ve read cases like this about other immigrant cultures as well. They seem like they could benefit from a hefty dose of cultural-sensitivity training.
How can Florida expect a mere visitor to the US to know that she has to get prenatal care? Does the average Indian get prenatal care in India?
Tampa is a messed up town. Frankly, I’m suprised they didn’t just deport her.
A few questions.. 1. She’s not working or studying, so how did she end up in the US while her husband and family is in India? 2. Can she leave the country with her child, or is the child a US citizen, and hence the responsibility of the government over here?
and most important.. 3. Can we do something to help her?
I am wondering if the DCF is somehow using convoluted tactics to discourage foreigners from coming here and having babies just to get US citizenship. . . I have heard cases where US embassies were hesitant about giving visas to heavily pregnant women.
And it looks like a shalwar kameez to me . . .
The story says:
Re: Shalwar kameez, I had never even heard of a shalwar until I got to college. Growing up in a guju household they were always called “punjabis”
I am wondering if the DCF is somehow using convoluted tactics to discourage foreigners from coming here and having babies just to get US citizenship
I don’t think so. I think the DCF has been under seige for so long that they are just overreacting to cover their ass.
It does sound like they are making an example of her, on the “have baby in America for their citizenship” card.
But the baby was born PREMATURELY as well… at 4.5 pounds she was probably nowhere near her due date. I wish we knew more of the story … but I have to add… is there something we can do?
And on a tangential note, the term ‘punjabi’ didn’t faze me .. I have friends, mostly Gujarati, whose favored term for the outfit is “Punjabi suit” .. I just filled in the blanks.
Thanks Manish, I should have RTFA 🙂
“punjabi” is the short form of “punjabi dress” – thats what gujjus call the salwar kameez…
We (either my family or bangalis or some grouping i’m a part of) call men’s khurtas “punjabis”. but i’ve always heard salwar kameez referred to as salwar kameez.
Also, we call samosas “singharas”. I’m not sure what that’s about.
I hope the desi community in Tampa is on this, and petitioning their congresspeople left and right. Any SM readers in Tampa??
Anil, She might be here on a tourist visa or may be a permanent resident. The child will be an American citizen if the child or his parents claim the citizenship. She will of course have to prove that the child was born in the US. ( In her case this should be no problem)
this is horrendous. i work in child advocacy and there are families that truly need DCF/CPS/DFACS to intervene. this hardly seems like the case.
that being said…after a tour of the NICU at a local hospital last friday and an extensive discussion about DCF referrals for preemies, i can say this much: most of the time hospital social workers refer cases to DCF because premature babies are a lot of responsibility that often times families cannot handle.
obviously there were some communication problems when the mother was trying to communicate with the hospital.
ugh. this is horrible.
I think my grandfather’s Punjabi tailor would, in a show of irritation, refer to the kurtas ordered as “Bengalis.” 😉
This really does seem like someone is on a power trip/wants to make an example of her.
So we’ve established that it’s, at least in part, a Guju thing. My mom (Mallu as you wanna be!) calls them “Punjabi suits.”
More on point, hasn’t Florida suffered a rash of “missing” foster kids? This may be a (misguided) effort on their part to “step it up.”
First off, her friends are under no obligation to support her. I don’t know if DCF can rely on their word. That said, it still sounds fishy to me that she was visiting the US 7 months pregnant without any family. It IS irresponsible.
montmeru, are you cognitively challenged? READ THE FUCKING ARTICLE. she wasn’t visiting at 7 months. she was visiting at 3 months when she was in a car accident and had to stay because of it. still sound fishy?
this whole case is an outrage. miscommunication with tragic results.
Dear God! This is terrible. Looks like she may have a shitty lawyer as well. I can’t see how DCF can successfully claim its a case of neglect or whatever, when her stay happened due to the accident, which also explains the apparant lack of financial support.
Damn! Just let her take her child back home. She will get more love there than in spending lifetimes of fostercare in the USA.
Like others have asked, does anyone know of any support group or any other help setup for her? How may we help???
Exasperated, you have reason to be. So she had an accident back in January. She’s pregnant, has been in an accident, in need of medical care, and hardly speaks any english and didn’t know where she was going with the baby. I don’t know about you but I know no one who has rich enough friends who can foot medical bills in this country. Was she a maid for her “friends”? It still smells fishy.
OMG!! montmeru u do sound “cognitively challenged”! … if she was in an accident … it’s MOST PROBABLE that the vehicle insurance company is paying for those related medical bills and not the friends …
For heaven’s sake … people voice ur concerns for the little premature baby who is not with it’s own mom (not other crap!).
That is AWFUL…isn’t there anything we can do?
The Indian Community of Tampa Bay is providing complete support to the family. Here’s an announcement from Kanti Bakarania, President, Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay:
No, the insurance company wasn’t paying for prenatal care or her pregnancy. The “friends” apparently didn’t think she needed any of that. I see a sentiment here that the state is acting in bad faith. If the state has reasons to conclude that the baby will not get proper attention for WHATEVER reasons it makes sense for it to put the baby first. That is what has happened here.
Here’s a followup article in the Tampa Tribune.
It looks like neither she nor her friends knew that prenatal care was required in the state of Florida. Also could be that they didn’t even know what prenatal care is in the first place. If she could not afford the prenatal care or knew she needed to get prenatal care, she could have gone to the county or state health department clinics for free. So i don’t think money was the issue – just a lack of communication and lack of understanding of Florida prenatal care laws and a lack of knowledge about prenatal care.
Additionally, I would not trust DCF with my kids. Their foster care system is so messed up. They rarely follow up properly on the kids placed into foster care. DCF has no clue as to what is in the best interest of the child.
DCF has Spanish interpretators for spanish speakers – why the hell couldn’t they come up with Gujrati translator for the gujarati mother? If the caseworker had gotten a translator, there would have been no miscommunication with the mother and the baby would still be with the mother. This is truly a sad case which could have been avoided by proper communication.
Anyone know if prenatal care is mandatory in all states?
Prenatal care could simply be doing some ultrasounds, checking heart rate and checking mother’s BP, and doing blood test – your basic stuff that even street corner clinics in India do. I am willing to admit that this woman was quite ignorant of these things but what about her friends? I know young girls and older women are brought over as maids and I’m just wondering if this is the case of her “friends” bringing her over as a maid and abandoning her. Why else would she say she didn’t have anywhere to go? As for translators, once again, where were her “friends”? Let’s get some perspective here. The baby will eventually be returned to the mom once she is found capable of caring for the baby.
Let’s get some perspective here. Next time you have a newborn, let me take the baby away for two months. The baby will eventually be returned to the parents, so just chill.
Haha, given how irrational you sound, no way! I’d trust Jeb Bush before I trust you.
She needs that kid back now! That kid needs to bond with her mama. This is simply riidiulous and will cause long term harm. Don’t you all know that breastfed babies who are premature do way better than those who are not? For the baby’s sake she needs to be reunited.
Montmeru – gosh. You are so naive and have no empathy. How sad.
Montmeru,
To clarify someone’s comment earlier: Her post-accident medical bills were probably covered by the insurance company of the other party (the person who caused the accident). No one suggested the possible prenatal care would have been covered by the insurance company.
Also, considering how long it takes to obtain a visa, she may not have been pregnant at the time she applied for it. Coming to the US probably seemed like a golden opportunity that she didn’t want to pass up; on top of that, maybe she didn’t even know she was pregnant at the time! so why would she forfeit travelling? Also, considering that she speaks little English, if any, I’m sure she was scared being here in the US and was not about to let a bunch of non-Hindi, non-Gujurati speaking doctors poke and prod at her. Please reconsider the situation as though you were in her shoes — young, foreign to a very strange and busy country, unable to communicate with anyone but a few friends, and pregnant! without your husband or mother! and then you get into an accident! and all you wanted to do was come visit the country that ‘dreams’ are made of and possibly help your family out… and now look at the mess you are in. Imagine if that happened to you, or your mother, or your sister, or someone you actually love. Whether she was ignorant or irresponsible, you’d feel a bit more compassion for her, especially if you begin to consider the state of our foster care system and the many children who come out of it scarred and/or troubled.
Are there any lawyers in the crowd that could work for her? Pro bono perhaps?
Note that in the picture she is in a very small kitchen. I’d venture to say her friends are living in an apartment? Not in a big mansion and refusing to put out money for her prenatal care, IF they even knew she needed it. (Let’s be real, back in the day, none of our grandmothers and some of our mothers did NOT get prenatal care)
Since she is Indian citizen, someone should contact the Indian embassy – maybe they could push things along – wishful thinking perhaps.
“Haha, given how irrational you sound, no way! I’d trust Jeb Bush before I trust you.”
Only a moron would trust Jeb Bush or the government with their baby. BTW, isn’t Jeb Bush’s ‘baby’ a drug addict who forged prescriptions?
Curlz, It’s more than likely that she came here in Sep/Oct 04 and discovered she was pregnant. My question simply is under what circumstances did she come here and who is/should be responsible for where she ended up. I am not blaming her. All I’m arguing is that under the circumstances the State did what they were supposed to do – put the baby’s welfare first. Blame the people who (I claim) abandoned her or wrongly advised her to stay thru the 7th month. My niece, getting the best of care, was advised not to fly after 7 months.
This is not an effort to turn this into an argument about Hindutva and I’ll refrain from answering any responses to avoid doing so, but I just want people who are giving money to the organization Rahul offered a link to to know that the website has a link to the HSS (a Hindutva group) (see youth camp). Here is HSS’s US website and here is a critique of HSS and related organizations and here is a critique of the critique (not specific to HSS).
Again, I’m not saying don’t give money or don’t offer other help throug the Gujarati Samar because I don’t know enough about how this is going to work or their activities–I’m just providing information about one particular activity they support and how that may fit in with broader politics and suggesting you find out as much as you can about the Gujarati Samaj’s activities and how the money will be channeled to this woman and whether there are other options before making a choice.
Are there any further news after the updates posted above? Someone plz make sure you do inform the SP readers of any updates later on (even if it’s weeks from now).
Saurav, I know you dont want to get into the argument, neither do I. The critique you mentioned is completely dis-credited by the actual government report that came out on May 11th. The title of this new item is
If we equate Modi to Hitler… you know for “genocide” (I think Jon Stewart’s Hitler reference segment was preety good a few days back) then lets do the math 5.5 Million Jews were killed in the holocaust. So if we apply the ratio of the Gujarat riots 254/790 which is approx 0.3. Multiply that with 5.5 approx 1.7 million.
So Hitler should have LET 1.7 million GERMANS to be KILLED by the JEWS ….
RC – state-sanctioned and assisted deaths are different from those that are incurred as the result of communal violence. Both are horrific – but the charge of genocide is not to be restricted by ratios – it is actually about what the state did.
Please don’t turn this thread into a debate about Hindutva. There are many, many other places on this blog to have that debate, but only this one space for people who are interested in this woman and her baby. A few perspectives have been presented here about how it relates to the issue at hand, and that should hopefully be enough. If you want to continue it, use other spaces on this blog or use this open thread on my blog.
Just as a courtesy to people who are more interested in the situation of this woman and her baby and the amount of sincere interest they’re demonstrating in trying to do something about it.
Wow, there’s actually a freeper thread on this story.
I feel for this woman, but this is an extremely confusing story.
Found this site while trawling and it made pretty interesting reading.
What does’nt gel is Parita Patel’s story. Here she was “visiting friends”, goes into premature labour & delivers a baby. She hardly speaks English, so where were the friends when she was being interviewed.
Something stinks
Would be good if folks actually read the full article before running off with their comments – same is true on the free republic site. READ THE DAMN ARTICLE FIRST BEFORE PROCLAIMING THAT SOMETHING STINKS.
Ok, now I’m pissed about those freeper comments.
What would be the problem anyway with having your baby here so it could claim citizenship?
Can’t the country use another taxpaying highly educated technology professional?
Dude, they’re freepers. That was on the mild side.
Ah, ok. I’ve never been there before. I guess I’ll never go there again.