The Donald Trump administration expanded its travel ban list to 39 countries starting from January 1, 2026, though not all these countries are on the complete ban list. Some countries are on the list of partial travel ban where some exceptions are allowed. But immigration experts have pointed out that through a tweak in the latest proclamation, the administration banned all international adoptions from the 39 countries no matter whether they are on the list of full travel ban or partial travel ban.
New rules ban adoption visas
The Trump administration introduced a travel ban in 2025 as soon as it returned to power. The ban was on 12 countries at that time. Later in 2025, the ban was expanded and the adoption tweak was done. In the June travel ban, the adoption visas were mentioned in the exempt category but in the December rule, they were not mentioned. Though the administration did not spell out that Americans can’t adopt babies from these countries, the exemption rules now make it clear that adoption visas are suspended. “A deeply underreported part of Trump’s latest travel ban is that for unexplained reasons he banned all international ADOPTIONS from the 39 countries. Americans are now banned from adopting babies from Nigeria, Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, or any of the other countries on the list,” American Immigration Council’s senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick said. “The June travel ban which applied to 19 countries exempted both immediate relatives of US citizens and international adoptions. When Trump expanded the ban last month, he eliminated both of those exceptions, the latter with no explanation,” he added.
List of the 39 countries from which Americans can’t adopt babies
AfghanistanBurmaChadThe Republic of the CongoEquatorial GuineaEritreaHaitiIranLibyaSomaliaSudanYemenBurkina FasoLaos MaliNigerSierra Leone South SudanSyriaPalestineAngolaAntigua and BarbudaBeninBurundiCôte d’IvoireCubaDominicaGabonThe GambiaMalawiMauritaniaNigeriaSenegalTanzaniaTogoTongaVenezuelaZambiaZimbabweAs these countries have a travel ban to the US, adoption visas are also not exempt. An exemption may be considered if the secretary of state and/or secretary of homeland security finds that granting a visa may be in the national interest.
