"Why is there a surge of foreign applicants to adopt kids? What about all the orphans in their own country?"
I know many people who have adopted domestically, and many more people who attempted domestic adoption, only to come away heartbroken or worse.
Just last week, a couple who had fostered to adopt 3 small children for 22 months had those children taken away from them. Where did they go? To the birthmother's father, who had LOST CUSTODY OF THE BIRTHMOTHER MANY YEARS AGO! The grandfather had not shown any interest in the children for the almost 2 years the children were in foster care. Yet suddenly when the case was winding to a close (so that the foster parents could adopt the children they had raised and loved so much), the grandfather (undoubtedly persuaded by the unfit birthmother) rushed in to take the children. The children are black, the family is white, Christian and homeschool- a deadly combination. It's much better for the children to go live with a man they have seen once in their life (who lost his custody of his own child years earlier) than to stay with the family who has lovingly raised them for almost 2 years. (sarc)
Sadly, the grandfather told the foster family that he did not want ANY of their toys or personal belongings. The children left with the clothes on their backs, and will never be able to see the family they grew up with (the youngest is just over 2).
When we went through foster/adoption classes, the social worker said, "The courts in our county are hesitant to sever the rights of parents, so the children that are available for adoption will be SEVERELY abused and neglected."
I could go on with other domestic adoption debacles.
That is why people adopt internationally.
I expect the grandfather's sudden interest was due to a social worker of the no-white-parents-for-black-children ilk enlightening him that he'd receive a fat monthly check for the next 16 years if he took them.