US begins enforcing visa bans on religious persecutors

The United States government has confirmed that it has begun enforcing visa restrictions against individuals found to have violated religious freedom.

It warned that perpetrators of religious persecution will not be allowed into the country.

Mark Walker, the US Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom, made this known in a post on X on Friday.

“In December, Secretary Rubio announced that the State Department will restrict US visas for those who have directed, authorised, funded, significantly supported, or carried out violations of religious freedom.

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“We have already executed on this policy and we will continue to subject perpetrators to additional scrutiny.

“If you engage in persecution, you are not welcome in America. The United States is safer when we keep those responsible for religious persecution from entering our homeland,” he said.

Reports has it hat the statement confirms the implementation of a policy announced in December by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which targets individuals who direct, authorise, fund, or significantly support violations of religious freedom.

The policy is grounded in Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and allows the State Department to extend restrictions to the immediate family members of affected individuals where appropriate.

The US had specifically named Nigeria among countries of concern, with Rubio stating that the restrictions could be applied to “Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.”

The policy announcement had followed a briefing by US House Republicans highlighting rising religious violence in Nigeria, convened at the direction of President Donald Trump, who had described killings of Christians in the country as a slaughter.

On November 20, 2025, the US House Subcommittee on Africa opened a public hearing to review Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, placing the country under heightened scrutiny for alleged religious freedom violations.

Lawmakers examined the potential consequences of the designation, which could pave the way for sanctions against Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution.