Flights of injured Haitian children to U.S. hospitals have come to a halt as government officials, and medical and aid workers had to await paperwork to ensure legal airlifts, a lull in crucial evacuation that followed the arrest of Americans for illegally transporting local children out of the Caribbean state last month.

American and Haitian officials have reportedly been requiring medical workers paper proof that children up for U.S. flights were orphans or had parents traveling with them, slowing down an evacuation that could save the children’s lives.

The New York Times has reported that only three children were evacuated to U.S. hospitals aboard private flights since the arrests late January. Some 15 children were flown daily States-side from the Haitian field hospital before the alleged kidnap attempt.