Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that those who take part in the “mass killings” of Christians, mainly “radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias” and the like, no longer are welcome in the United States.
“A new policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act will allow the State Department 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.
Long has there been violent persecution of Christians in several African regions, including Nigeria. Tens of thousands of Christians are believed to have been murdered, hundreds of churches and homes burned, and children kidnapped in recent years.
The violence has been elevated to the level of international headlines several times in recent weeks by President Donald Trump.
Now Rubio’s announcement is that those who take part will be denied entry to the U.S.
“As President Trump made clear, the ‘United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.’ This policy will apply to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom,” he said.
A report in the Washington Examiner said a State Department official explained already foreign government officials accused of “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” are banned.
The change means that the ban also applies to those who are “non-government individuals.”
Trump already has designated Nigeria a country of particular concern due to the rampant abuse of religious rights.
And Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, labeled the massacre of thousands of Christians in Nigeria a “genocide.”
Nigerian officials have claimed that the documented terrorism against Christians is a “hoax.”