A Minnesota couple is in the midst of a “bureaucratic nightmare” during their months-long stay in Brazil after being unable to return to the United States due to administrative issues regarding their newborn son. There’s only one step left before we can leave.
Chris and Sheri Phillips, of Cambridge, 80 miles north of Minneapolis, traveled to the South American country in February for what was supposed to be a two-week trip. Since Cheri Phillips’ due date was not until June 2nd, the couple were advised to consult their doctor before traveling and to travel.
Chris, who has a young daughter who lives in Brazil with her mother, visits the country at least three times a year. He said his wife usually accompanies him on at least one such trip.
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Grayson Phillips in his crib. Grayson was born a few months early in Brazil. (Chris Phillips)
On March 8, two days before she was scheduled to return home, Cheri Phillips started bleeding and went to the hospital. A few days later, Grayson Phillips was born by C-section. He spent 51 days in the neonatal intensive care unit before being discharged to his parents on May 3.
“His health is doing very well overall, but his Brazilian and U.S. documents are in good condition,” Chris Phillips told Fox News Digital from an AirBnb in the coastal city of Florianopolis, where his family is staying. “We are still stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare.” “The only reason we can’t take him home is because he doesn’t have a Brazilian birth certificate and until he gets his birth certificate he won’t get an American passport. Because I can’t.”
Despite fighting for his son’s life, the battle to bring him to the United States turns out to be unexpectedly difficult. Grayson needed his passport to leave the country, which required his birth certificate. But a local registry office called Kartrio refused to issue Chris and Cheri Phillips’ passports because they didn’t have their parents’ names on them, which is required in Brazil.
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Cheri Phillips and Chris Phillips with their son Grayson Phillips, who was born prematurely in Brazil. (Chris Phillips)
Loved ones in Minnesota sent the couple separate birth certificates with the parents’ names and marriage license. According to Chris Phillips, court interpreters still get rejected because documents do not have an apostille, a little-known clause that proves a document is approved by a state party to the 1961 Hague Convention. He said he was deaf.
After their plight attracted Brazilian media attention, Cartorio “changed its mind” and issued Grayson’s birth certificate. Chris Phillips said over the weekend that authorities blamed the holdup on employees who didn’t comply with requests.
“I do not admit wrongdoing. I do not admit ignorance of a law of which I should have been fully aware,” he said in a statement. “There is no apology for the over two months of unnecessary stress and emotional distress they have caused Cheri and me.”
“Perhaps, as I heard from someone here, Brazil will pass a law in 2023 that will eliminate the need for foreigners to submit official documents containing the names of the child’s grandparents to the Apostle in order to process a Brazilian birth certificate. I believe it passed,” he said in a written statement. statement.
Obtaining American documents was equally difficult. Obtaining the proper documentation required Grayson’s birth certificate and a trip to a U.S. consulate or embassy. The closest facilities are approximately 300 miles away in areas hit hard by flooding.
Plus, driving is out of the question because the newborn won’t fit in a car seat, Chris Phillips said. The couple has retained a local attorney, but the court process has been stalled and delayed because the attorney likens the infant to a child without a country.
“He (Grayson) is not yet officially on paper in any system,” Chris Phillips said last week. “As they say in Brazil, he is not officially registered.”
The couple also asked U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) for help to cut through some of the red tape.
“He (Grayson) is not officially in any system yet.”
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Cheri Phillips was spotted leaving a hospital in Brazil after giving birth to Grayson Phillips. (Chris Phillips)
“I can only imagine the incredible stress this family had to endure, both having an unexpected birth in Brazil and having to jump through bureaucratic hurdles to return home. All I can do is help,” Smith said in a statement to FOX News Digital. “After asking the embassy in Brasilia to take further steps to assist the family, we received news that special services would be provided so that the family would not have to travel to obtain a U.S. passport. Ta.”
As of Sunday, the couple was working with the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia to create a passport for their son.
“Until we have that passport in our hands, we won’t really begin to feel at ease. To be clear, we still have a long way to go. But at last, at least we can see it. “I’m here,” Chris said.
Apart from the stress of trying to navigate Brazil’s legal system, the Philip family also had to deal with the emotional and financial effects of their predicament.
“I don’t speak Portuguese, and not many people here speak English,” said Cheri Phillips, a first-time mother. She said: “Experiencing childbirth and hospitalization without being able to speak directly to your care team is incredibly taxing.”
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Grayson Phillips (left) and his mother, Cheri Phillips, sit in a crib at a hospital in Brazil. (Chris Phillips)
Families have had to stay in multiple Airbnb properties and are forced to move each time their reservations close. In addition, you may have to extend your rental car contract and arrange your flight home, which can cost you a lot of money. Chris Phillips said their health insurance company has covered their medical bills so far.
Chris, a photographer and video producer for a pediatric health care provider, is working remotely, and Cheri will return to work virtually part-time next week.
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“The goal now is to bring him home,” he said. “He is a Brazilian citizen by birth. He was born to an American, so he has and always will have the right to be an American citizen.”
“He is a Brazilian citizen by birth. Since he was born to an American, he has and always will have the right to be an American citizen.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, DC for comment.
