New Order Makes It Harder for Americans To Adopt Children

Source: Newsweek

Jan 01, 2026 at 02:07 PM EST


The Trump administration’s expanded travel ban went into effect Thursday, banning visas that allowed adoption from 39 countries.

Under the proclamation signed by President Donald Trump on December 16, four adoption visas were suspended, per the State Department, affecting countries including Nigeria, Haiti and Venezuela.

Why It Matters

The so-called travel ban was a feature of the first Trump administration and returned in 2025, with Trump arguing that banning or limiting travel from the affected countries was necessary for U.S. national security. Ending adoption visas for the affected countries is a newly introduced element of the updated ban.

What To Know

As of Thursday morning, adoption-specific IR-3, IR-4, IH-3 and IH-4 visas cannot be issued for people from all affected countries, regardless of whether there is a full or partial travel ban in place. While Trump’s original proclamation did not lay out the specific visas affected here, it did say that family-based visas would no longer be an exception, with the State Department implementing the new rules.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/new-order-makes-it-harder-for-americans-to-adopt-children-11294443