Two El Paso children adopted as father watches overseas

Two El Paso children waiting for adoption have now found a permanent home.

The CARE Coalition held a conference to educate potential adoptive parents on Wednesday. The highlight of the conference was an adoption ceremony where a boy and girl were officially welcomed into their new family.

“They’ve definitely filled a void in my heart, and the fact that I can hear them say ‘Mom and Dad’ is very overwhelming,” Ana Santiago Tomei told ABC-7.

The ceremony was a bit different than usual, since Ana’s husband watched the ceremony via Skype. Ricardo Santiago Tomei is stationed in Africa, but is no stranger to the children. Ian and Asia have been their foster children for a little over a year.

“It’s an opportunity to give that love and support to the children,” Ana told ABC-7. “To provide that structure that we know that they needed. and you see them now and they’re flourishing so well, we’re just excited to be part of that.”

If you are interested in learning more about adoption and foster care in El Paso, you can visit the CARE’s page on the El Paso County website.