Subramanyam, Kaine Lead Effort Pushing Administration to Make Exemption for International Adoptions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) led a bicameral effort to pressure the Trump administration to provide a clear, categorical exemption for adopted children that would allow international adoptions to continue. Earlier this year, the administration announced that visa issuances would be paused for applications from 75 countries, claiming without evidence, that immigrants are a financial burden on Americans.

The members and senators said, “Following this abrupt policy change, we have heard grave concerns from constituents in the final stages of international adoptions that have been years in the making. These families have completed all required U.S. immigration, financial, and child-welfare vetting and have waited years for the opportunity to bring their children home. However, adoption visa protocols require immigrant visas, which are now on pause. As a result of this decision, these families’ plans to bring their children to the United States are facing uncertainty.”

The letter to the Department of State and Secretary of State Marco Rubio cites public reports that more than 300 international adoptions have already been disrupted or halted due to this policy change.

The members and senators continued, “While we have heard through correspondence with the Department that Americans going through the adoption process can qualify for an exception under the National Interest Exception, we strongly urge you to immediately officially establish categorical exemptions for adoption-related visas, consistent with long-standing U.S. practice, and transmit this information to the public, so these American families can unite with their children.”

In addition to Subramanyam and Kaine, the letter was cosponored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (WI), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Cory Booker (NJ), Chris Coons (DE), Catherine Cortez-Masto (NV), Ed Markey (MA), Jeff Merkley (OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (MD), Mark R. Warner (VA), Ron Wyden (OR), and U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Danny Davis (D-IL-97), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-35), Bill Keating (D-MA-09), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), and James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11).

The full letter can be found here and below:

Dear Secretary Rubio,

On January 14, 2026, the Department of State announced that, effective January 21, 2026, the Department would be “pausing all visa issuances” for applications from 75 different countries. In the announcement, the Department stated, without evidence, that immigrants are a financial burden on Americans.

Following this abrupt policy change, we have heard grave concerns from constituents in the final stages of international adoptions that have been years in the making. These families have completed all required U.S. immigration, financial, and child-welfare vetting and have waited years for the opportunity to bring their children home. However, adoption visa protocols require immigrant visas, which are now on pause. As a result of this decision, these families’ plans to bring their children to the United States are facing uncertainty.

Public reports indicate that the State Department’s blanket refusal to issue visas for these children has already disrupted or halted international adoptions for approximately 300 U.S. families. The result is that children who are already legally part of U.S. families are forced to remain separated from their parents and siblings, often residing in orphanages or foster care placements abroad, with no clear timeline for reunification. This outcome is unprecedented and horrifying, particularly given that international adoption visas have historically been exempt from prior travel restrictions, national security suspensions, and processing pauses.

While the Department has stated that the rationale for pausing immigrant visa issuance is concern over public charge and financial burden, the application of this policy to adoption cases falls far outside of any asserted scope of the policy’s intent. Extensive screenings by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the State Department Consulates already ensure that adoptive families have demonstrated the ability to bear full financial responsibility for their children.

While we have heard through correspondence with the Department that Americans going through the adoption process can qualify for an exception under the National Interest Exception, we strongly urge you to immediately officially establish categorical exemptions for adoption-related visas, consistent with long-standing U.S. practice, and transmit this information to the public, so these American families can unite with their children.

Thank you for your attention to this critical and time-sensitive matter.

Sincerely,

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