cases are being accelerated . Twenty-four of those children , whose cases `` were at the very end of the process '' before the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti nearly a week ago , have departed Haiti and joined their new families after the embassy expedited processing for immigrant visas , said Michele Bond , deputy assistant secretary for American citizen services . Department officials said Sunday that 150 children had already left Haiti , but corrected that number Monday . Officials are reviewing every case individually to see where they are in the process , what actions have been taken in the case and whether the case can be accelerated , Bond said . The department said it will be announcing an adoption plan with travel specifics shortly . If an American adoption case was early in the process , there is no guarantee of an accelerated adoption , Bond said . Examples of being early in the process would be if prospective parents have not been properly vetted ; have not been matched with a specific child ; or have been matched with a child but the Haitian government is still attempting to prove absolutely the child
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. government announced Monday that it has eased the requirements for orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States on a temporary basis . The move is being made to ensure they get needed care after last week 's earthquake in Haiti , said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano , who made the announcement in coordination with the U.S. Department of State . `` We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time , '' said Napolitano in a news release . `` While we remain focused on family reunification in Haiti , authorizing the use of humanitarian parole for orphans who are eligible for adoption in the United States will allow them to receive the care they need here . '' Napolitano can grant humanitarian parole into the United States to bring otherwise inadmissible individuals into the country for urgent humanitarian reasons or other emergencies . The State Department said earlier Monday it is working with DHS and the Haitian government to process nearly 300 cases of Americans who are waiting to adopt Haitian children . Of those , 200