‘Bring Duane Home’ foster care dispute goes viral on social media

A campaign to reunite a boy in the New York foster care system with his original foster family in New Jersey has gone viral after it was posted on social media. Hilda Ramos has been fighting for about

News 12 Staff

Jan 31, 2016, 4:13 AM

Updated 3,014 days ago

Share:

‘Bring Duane Home’ foster care dispute goes viral on social media
A campaign to reunite a boy in the New York foster care system with his original foster family in New Jersey has gone viral after it was posted on social media.
Hilda Ramos has been fighting for about a decade to be reunited with her foster son Duane. About 14 years ago, Ramos' mother took Duane in when she lived in the Bronx. He was just five days old.
When Duane was 3, Ramos' mother passed away and Duane came to live with her in Roselle Park.
"New York City child protective services placed him with me. Then they realized it was an illegal placement because I lived in New Jersey and he was a ward of the state of New York," Ramos says.
The Ramos family has been trying ever since to get him back. Duane is now 14 years old. He has been allowed to visit the family over the years. He has been living with his birth father at times. Other times he is back in the foster care system.
In a Facebook post that has gone viral, Ramos' daughter Deirdre lays out their fight to get Duane back. The posts says that Duane's birth father has issues with drugs and Duane has told them that he is afraid to live with his father.
"On my mother's death bed, her concern was what's going to happen to [Duane]. I told my mother 'I will take care of your boy," Ramos says.
The Ramos family cannot adopt Duane because the boy's birth parents have not relinquished their parental rights.
New York City's Administration of Children Services issued a statement saying that confidentiality laws don't allow them to discuss specific cases, but a spokesperson says that the agency takes all allegations seriously.


More from News 12
1:29
St. Simon Stock School in Fordham to not reopen this fall due to low enrollment

St. Simon Stock School in Fordham to not reopen this fall due to low enrollment

1:37
Summerlike weather returns to NYC with temps in the 80s; cooler weather for the weekend

Summerlike weather returns to NYC with temps in the 80s; cooler weather for the weekend

1:43
Nonprofit wants to bring an independent cinema to the Bronx

Nonprofit wants to bring an independent cinema to the Bronx

1:54
Bronx charter schools have open seats for upcoming school year

Bronx charter schools have open seats for upcoming school year

2:04
Grants up for grabs for restaurants hurt by new stove standards

Grants up for grabs for restaurants hurt by new stove standards

1:51
Residents worried that sinkhole problems from years prior may return

Residents worried that sinkhole problems from years prior may return

1:19
Council members making a push for rat birth control

Council members making a push for rat birth control

1:43
NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

NYPD: Multiple suspects wanted for string of gunpoint robberies across the Bronx, Manhattan

1:30
82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

82-unit affordable housing development coming to West Farms

1:51
RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

RFK announces he has enough signatures to appear on NY ballot

1:41
Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

Bronx man in custody following death of his 79-year-old mother in Concourse Village apartment

1:47
City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

City officials, drivers weigh in on potential disappearance of parking spots in Mount Hope

0:34
FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

FBI arrests Brooklyn man in Mount Vernon robbery, homicide

2:19
Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

Rent hikes may be coming for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments

2:23
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse, community advocates file over 150 lawsuits accusing staff at juvenile facilities

1:33
NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

NYPD: Man wanted for robbing Mott Haven deli at gunpoint

1:57
Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

Pelham Parkway dialysis center closing soon, leaving patients angered

2:32
Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

Transportation Alternatives: 2024 was the deadliest start to a year since start of Vision Zero

1:36
Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

Residents say they feel unsafe after bricks fell from their building

1:28
Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater

Multiplex Cinema in Concourse Village set to close; BP Gibson says mall owners mull another theater