Fewer children from abroad adopted in Minn.

The number of children Minnesotans are adopting from abroad is declining, reflecting national trends.

Last year, Minnesota families adopted almost 400 children internationally. Five years ago, the number was more than twice that — more than 900.

On a visit to Minneapolis Friday, Janice Jacobs, assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, said some of the drop is explained by a rising middle class in some of the previous "sending countries" but also more rigorous safeguards to prevent human trafficking.

"In countries where we have noticed these very troublesome trends, we have stopped doing new adoptions until we can work with the government to try to get them to take more seriously the issue of children coming out of nowhere," Jacobs said.

Ethiopia, the second-largest "sending country," is a place U.S. officials are focusing on what Jacobs called "some trends that worry us."