The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled sweeping new visa restrictions aimed at foreign nationals implicated in the surge of brutal anti-Christian violence in Nigeria–marking one of Washington’s strongest responses yet to what U.S. officials describe as escalating religious persecution in Africa’s most populous nation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the move, invoking a new authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the State Department to deny visas to individuals and, in some cases, their immediate family members who have “directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.”
Rubio framed the action as a decisive response to mounting atrocities.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.
A Wave of Attacks Drives Policy Shift
The visa restrictions come after a series of devastating assaults on churches and schools in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions.
In November, gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, killing two believers and kidnapping 38 worshipers. The captives were freed nearly a week later.
Just days afterward, armed militants raided St. Mary’s School in Niger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff. While dozens escaped in the days that followed, 253 children and 12 teachers remain missing.
The violence prompted President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria a “country of particular concern,” a label the Nigerian government rejects. Trump expressed outrage at the continuing killings.
“I’m really angry about it,” Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview. “What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace.”
He later revealed he had ordered the Pentagon to begin contingency planning for possible U.S. military action in response to ongoing attacks on Christian communities.
Broader Global Implications
Rubio emphasized that the new restrictions will not be limited to Nigeria. Any foreign officials, militants, or private individuals involved in religious-freedom violations worldwide could face similar consequences.
The policy is grounded in Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allowing visa denial to those who threaten U.S. foreign policy interests. A State Department official told the Washington Examiner that the new rules resemble existing measures under Section 212(a)(2)(G), which apply only to foreign government officials — but the updated policy now casts a wider net.
“As President Trump made clear, the United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries,” Rubio said.
A Crisis of Global Concern
Nigeria has long grappled with overlapping security threats–Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, criminal kidnapping networks, and ethnically driven violence. But U.S. officials say the targeting of Christian communities has reached a critical point.
The updated visa policy signals Washington’s intention to hold perpetrators accountable even beyond Nigeria’s borders, as the administration looks to leverage diplomatic, military, and legal tools to confront what it calls a “pattern of anti-Christian terror.”
