Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn sent Congressman Bob Latta, Senator Jon Husted, and Senator Bernie Moreno a letter outlining concerns about recent federal action affecting international adoptions and how a local family is being impacted.
You can read Mayor Muryn’s full letter below.
Dear Congressman Latta, Senator Husted, and Senator Moreno:
Happy New Year. I write to you today on behalf of families in Findlay and across Ohio who are being directly impacted by recent federal action affecting intercountry adoption—and, perhaps more importantly, a critical human issue: the protection of vulnerable children.
Findlay is a community that shares your values of family, compassion, and adherence to the law. For many years, Ohio families have followed the rigorous federal and international requirements necessary to adopt children from abroad, particularly from countries that are parties to the Hague Adoption Convention. These families have fully complied with background checks, home studies, security reviews, and all immigration requirements established by the United States government.
The Presidential Proclamation issued on December 16, 2025—Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States—removed the long-standing exemption that allowed visas for internationally adopted children from Haiti and other affected countries. As a result, children who are already legally adopted by U.S. citizens are now unable to enter the United States.
As of this week, a local family informed me that their adoption agency alone has 44 children currently stranded in Haiti, despite being fully and legally adopted by American families, solely because adoption visas can no longer be issued under the Proclamation. These children are not pending matches; their adoptions are complete under U.S. and international law. In addition, dozens of other children remain in legal limbo because their families are awaiting final USCIS approvals that were underway prior to the policy change.
While the federal government has a clear duty to protect national security, children adopted through the Hague Convention process are among the most thoroughly vetted entrants to the United States. They are immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, have undergone extensive scrutiny, and present no credible national security risk. The current policy unintentionally harms children while undermining families who have complied fully with every legal requirement.
As you know, Haiti, along with many other countries around the world, is currently unsafe, and for children, these conditions are even more severe. Each day brings the risk of kidnapping, violence, or exploitation. It is difficult to imagine living with greater fear of personal safety than fear of starvation, yet that is the daily reality for many of these children. Just yesterday, Greybull Rescue successfully completed a courageous operation to bring three adopted children home from Haiti. Those children were only able to enter the United States because their visas had been issued prior to January 1. Their arrival underscores both the urgency of this issue and the reality that children remain in dangerous and unstable conditions solely due to a technical policy barrier.
I respectfully urge you to advocate for the immediate reinstatement of the adoptee visa exemption or for a targeted solution that allows visas to be issued for children already legally adopted by U.S. citizens. Addressing this issue would uphold family unity, honor lawful adoption processes, and reflect America’s longstanding commitment to the welfare of children—without compromising national security.
Families in Findlay and throughout the United States are looking for immediate action from their federal representatives. I appreciate your attention to this matter and your continued service to our state. If I can be of assistance on this critical human issue, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 419-424- 7137 or by email at cmuryn@findlayohio.gov.
Respectfully, Christina M. Muryn, Mayor