College Station parents plea for leaders to help adopted children in Haiti

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Political unrest and gang uprisings in Haiti are making an impact beyond borders.

Millions face starvation, hundreds have been killed, and many work to escape the violence. Now, children are being caught in the mix.

Alyssa and John Davison live in College Station but have kept close eyes on what’s happening in Haiti for the past decade, working to adopt their daughter.

“In 2014, we matched with our agency, chose Haiti as our country and we were told at the time it would be a two to three-year wait,” John said. “And then it was seven and a half years into the journey before we were matched with our daughter.”

In October 2021, their prayers were answered, or so they thought.

“When God calls you to do something, you do it. We prayed for a long time and it had been something that he had been stirring in our hearts for many years,” Alyssa said.

Their daughter, now six years old, has their last name and a U.S. Visa. However, with airports across the country in peril shut down and government buildings closed down, this family is in limbo.

One document was left to be signed, sitting on a desk in Haiti that would give permission for their daughter to travel to the United States. As they anticipated the reunion, unrest hit and government buildings were shut down and even ransacked.

The Davison’s don’t know where that paperwork is anymore.

“We were just weeks away from travel, days away from travel to going to pick her up, and when everything exploded,” John said.

They aren’t the only ones in this position. Alyssa says dozens of kids were ready to finally live with their families, many with nearly completed paperwork and a lot of anticipation. This is why she says congressional help is needed immediately.

“There are 101 kiddos that have a home here, and we’re just desperately asking for those that have the power to help them, to do so,” she said.

Adoptive families have been reaching out to State and U.S. Representative and Senators to try and get the state department to help. The Davison family says residents can also help encourage leaders to find a way to bring kids home, you can find your U.S. Representatives here or Senators here.