KEY POINTS

• Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom Mark Walker confirmed Friday that the US has already begun enforcing religious freedom visa restrictions under a policy Secretary Rubio announced in December
• The policy draws authority from Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and can extend restrictions to the immediate family members of affected individuals
• Nigeria is specifically named as a country of concern, and lawmakers have examined potential sanctions against Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution

The United States now enforces religious freedom visa restrictions against individuals found to have violated international religious liberty, with Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom Mark Walker confirming Friday that the policy is already active. Meanwhile, the measures implement a framework that Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in December targeting those who direct, authorize, fund or significantly support violations of religious freedom.

“We have already executed on this policy and we will continue to subject perpetrators to additional scrutiny,” Walker posted on X. “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.”

Policy targets those who direct, fund or support persecution

The policy covers individuals who direct, authorize, fund or significantly support violations of religious freedom. Additionally, it draws legal authority from 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 specifically named Nigeria among countries of concern, with Rubio stating that restrictions could apply to “Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.”

Nigeria named as country of concern over religious violence

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

Moreover, 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 visa violations.

Lawmakers also examined the potential consequences of the designation, which could lead to sanctions against Nigerian officials if investigators find them complicit in religious persecution.