For Joe and Vicki Finn of the Village of Tamarind Grove in The Villages, the past few days have been filled with uncertainty, worry and heartache. Not for themselves, but for their family and a 12-year-old girl they are waiting to welcome home.

Their son and daughter-in-law, Joe Finn Jr. and Kristin Finn of Waukesha, Wisconsin, were just days away from traveling to Colombia to complete the adoption of their daughter when a sudden pause on immigrant visas brought the process to an abrupt halt. 

“We’ve met with her several times on video chat, bonded with her, played games with her,” Kristin says. “We were told we were able to travel there on Sunday, and we were hoping to tell her we were coming, but then we found out there was going to be a freeze on visas and now we don’t know if we are going.”

The State Department announcement, issued Jan. 15, temporarily suspended visa issuances for immigrants from more than 75 countries, including Colombia, a move that for the first time also affects international adoptions.

“We were so close,” Joe Jr. says. “We were counting down the days. Now everything is up in the air.”

The Finns began the adoption process nearly three years ago, initially exploring adoption in Ecuador before transitioning to Colombia. They were matched with their daughter in July and have spent months building a bond through weekly video calls, playing games, asking questions and getting to know one another.

The girl’s room is ready at the Finn’s home.

The child has spent the past five years in orphanages and was preparing for what would have been her first permanent home in years. In Wisconsin, a bedroom is fully furnished, doctors are lined up and school plans are in place. 

Joe Sr. and Vicki are currently up visiting in anticipation for their son and daughter-in-law to travel to Columbia, but travel plans are still up in the air. 

The couple was forced to end their most recent video call with their daughter without sharing the news of their coming.

“That’s the hardest part,” Joe Jr. says. “She doesn’t know why things are delayed. She’s just waiting.”

The visa pause targets immigrant visas, which is the final legal step required to bring an adopted child into the United States. While similar restrictions in past administrations excluded adoptions, this pause does not, leaving families across the country in limbo. Some families are reportedly already in-country with their adopted children but unable to return home.

The stated purpose of the suspension is to review immigration policies related to public assistance use. However, the Finn family says adoption cases already involve extensive vetting, including multiple background checks, financial disclosures and federal approval through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“They know everything about us,” Joe Jr. says. “They’ve approved all of us. They’ve approved her.” 

Joe Sr. and Vicki are reaching out to The Villages community, sharing their story to raise awareness, particularly among Floridians who may not realize international adoptions are affected.