Trump admin. restricts visas for Nigerians linked to anti-Christian violence, persecution

In response to mass killings and violent attacks against Christians in Nigeria, the U.S. State Department announced that the United States will restrict visas for Nigerians who have participated in or supported violations of religious freedom, a restriction that could also apply to family members in some cases. 

The department announced the policy in a Wednesday statement amid escalating attacks against Nigerian Christians by extremist groups and armed militias, who are responsible for thousands of murders, abduction and widespread destruction of places of worship.

A new policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act will allow the federal government to "restrict visa issuance to individuals who have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom and, where appropriate, their immediate family members." 

The provision within the Immigration and Nationality Act gives the U.S. Secretary of State the authority to deny a visa or entry into the United States to a foreign national if the individual's presence in the country could potentially lead to adverse foreign policy consequences. 

"The United States is taking decisive action in response to the atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and around the world," said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a Wednesday statement posted on X. 

He vowed the agency will restrict U.S. visas for those who "knowingly direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom," a policy that applies not only to the Nigerian government but also to other governments and individuals that violate people's religious freedom. 

The actions come after President Donald Trump threatened potential military action last month to stop the attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria and "to wipe out the Islamic terrorists." The Trump administration has pressed the Nigerian government to work with them to deter violent religious persecution. 

Last month, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, emphasizing "the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians." Hegseth also expressed a desire to work with Nigerian authorities "to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States," according to a Pentagon statement.

Analysts who spoke with The Associated Press reported at the time that limited, high-profile U.S. airstrikes are unlikely to reverse the security concerns and instability in Nigeria. 

The Nigerian government has said in response to concerns about violent persecution that the conflict is not inherently religious, claiming that it stems from decades-old farmer-herder clashes. 

Nigeria's government has also pushed back against the claim that what's happening to Christian communities in the Middle Belt states may meet the standard for religious persecution and genocide. Advocates have also accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect its citizens from radicalized groups and rampant violence that has left millions displaced.

The situation in Nigeria has continued to draw widespread attention, including from celebrities like rapper Nicki Minaj, who, in an X post last month, expressed gratitude for living in a country with religious freedom.

"No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don't have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other," the rapper declared. 

"Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it's dangerous to pretend we don't notice," she continued. "Thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let's remember to lift them up in prayer."

Earlier this year, the global Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors placed Nigeria in the seventh spot on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians are most persecuted.  

During the WWL 2025 reporting period (Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024), researchers calculated, based on conservative estimates, that 3,100 Christians had been killed and 2,830 had been abducted. Regarding instances of sexual assault and physical and mental abuse, the report authors rounded the figures to 1,000 and 10,000, respectively.