U.S. senators are calling for those criminals around the globe who persecute people for their religious faith to be refused entry to the United States.
Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., has proposed S.3679 that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act “to prohibit visas for foreign individuals responsible for significant violations of religious liberty,” explained a report from the American Center for Law and Justice.
“In simple terms, those who persecute people of faith abroad should not be allowed to enter the United States,” the report, which follows evidence around the globe of believers facing violence, prison, intimidation torture, and death, said.
Budd has earned the support for his plan from Sens. Blackburn, Moody, Cotton, Banks, Kennedy, Lankford, and Cruz.
Explained the ACLJ, “Our American experiment rests on the foundational principle that rights come from God, not government. The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion because our nation recognizes that faith must be practiced freely, without coercion or punishment from the state. Unfortunately, many regimes across the globe take the opposite approach.”
The organization cited Nigeria, where “extremist groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa Province, and armed Fulani militants have repeatedly targeted Christian villages, churches, and clergy. Entire communities have been wiped out in coordinated attacks. In recent years alone, thousands of Nigerian Christians have been killed and many more displaced from their homes.”
President Donald Trump, as a result, already has designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.
The report noted Secretary of State Marco Rubio already had directed a review of visa authorities under the Immigration and Nationality Act to ensure individuals involved in religious persecution are denied entry into the United States.
Budd’s action is to reinforce and strengthen that agenda.
“When a government official, militia leader, or bureaucrat knows that participating in religious persecution could result in personal consequences, including losing access to travel to the United States, it creates a powerful deterrent,” the report said.