Sweden allows abandoned girl, 2, to stay

A Swedish immigration agency says it had delayed indefinitely the deportation of an abandoned 2-year-old girl. Haddile had faced deportation to France after her mother abandoned her at birth and her stepfather had allegedly abused her, the Swedish news agency TT reported. The ruling Sunday by the Swedish Migration Board was only a partial victory, said Malen Liewehr, the toddler's foster mother. The board is still looking for the child's mother, an Algerian-born woman with French citizenship, without whom the foster parents cannot complete the adoption process for Haddile. The board had earlier ruled that deporting the girl would allow her to be reunited with her mother. Tens of thousands of Swedes had signed a petition requesting the girl be allowed to stay in Sweden. On Sunday, the board said the girl could stay in the country while the search continued for her birth parents. If they were not found, authorities said a more in-depth assessment of the girl's case would be required.