The US government has acknowledged that it has started imposing visa restrictions on people who have been found to have violated religious freedom.
It issued a warning that those who commit acts of religious persecution would not be permitted to enter the nation.
This was revealed in a post on X on Friday by US Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom Mark Walker.
“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.
“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.
The Immigration and Nationality Act’s Section 212(a)(3)(C) serves as the foundation for the policy, which permits the State Department to impose restrictions on impacted individuals’ immediate family members when necessary.
According to Rubio, the restrictions could be applied to “Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.” The US had specifically identified Nigeria as one of the countries of concern.
The policy announcement came after a briefing by US House Republicans on the escalating religious violence in Nigeria, which was called at President Donald Trump’s request. Trump had called the country’s Christian killings a “slaughter.”
The US House Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing on November 20, 2025, to examine Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, subjecting the nation to increased scrutiny due to alleged violations of religious freedom.
Lawmakers looked at the designation’s possible repercussions, which might lead to sanctions against Nigerian officials who are found to have participated in religious persecution.
