Adoptive Families Wait Weeks Abroad as Travel Ban Slows Visas for Children From Sierra Leone, Malawi
Two Michigan church families who adopted in Sierra Leone are finally home, but agencies say case-by-case exceptions now take weeks or months.
See where this is ›ALMA, Mich. —
Two families from Community Church in Alma, Mich., who adopted children in Sierra Leone spent about 40 days waiting in Africa for U.S. permission to bring the children home, Christianity Today reported Oct. 28. Adoption agencies told the magazine that such waits have grown longer since August under the federal travel ban.
See where this is ›Matt and Tammy Riley adopted two teenage sisters, ages 14 and 17, who lost their parents to Ebola. Jordan and Kaitlyn Block adopted a 3-year-old boy. During the wait, Tammy Riley flew home while her husband stayed with the girls, and Kaitlyn Block returned with the couple's daughters while Jordan Block stayed with their son. The Blocks also contacted U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar. Both families received approval in mid-October and are now home.
“They have strong, strong faith, but my mama-bear heart just hates to watch them go through this,” Tammy Riley told the magazine.
The delays trace to December 2025, when President Donald Trump barred travel to the U.S. from 39 countries without the adoption-visa exemption found in earlier bans. In late January 2026, the State Department said adopted children could qualify for a “national interest exception,” decided case by case and requested by the embassy after the child's visa interview. Agencies say those approvals stretched from a few days to weeks or months after August, when the U.S. also canceled visa appointments worldwide for mandatory training, and staff turnover in early September added to the wait. In Africa, some embassies no longer handle adoption visas because services moved to regional hubs.
See where this is ›Josh Derrick, a longtime foster parent from Cleveland, Tenn., stayed in Malawi with his 3-year-old daughter, Beatrice, while his wife, Katie, took their other children home. He had his embassy appointment Aug. 4, received the exception Sept. 14 and was reunited with his family five days later. Other Malawi families working with the agency Promise Kids A Future, led by executive director Jill Baker, waited about one and a half to two and a half months, the magazine said.
Even a country outside the ban was affected. Valeria Vera and her husband, working with Open Door Adoption Agency, were held in Mexico for about two months under visa review after adopting a 13-year-old boy. “We didn't budget for that,” Vera said. Jyotika Acharya, executive director of St. Nick's Kids, which works in 13 of the affected countries, asked, “Why are we doing another layer of vetting when there is already one?”
A State Department spokesman told Christianity Today the department “processes these cases as expeditiously as possible while taking the time required to ensure full compliance” with federal law. On Sept. 30, Christy Kortokrax, a senior adviser in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, told St. Nick's Kids the bureau was following the Block and Riley cases closely and asked agencies to reach out for guidance before families travel. Daniel Nehrbass, president of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, said one of his agency's families waited about two and a half months.
