Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act of 2026
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Overview
This bill amends immigration law to deny visas to foreign nationals who have persecuted others based on religion. While not directly regulating U.S. schools or families, it reinforces religious freedom protections and could signal federal commitment to conscience rights that inform domestic policy on religious exemptions and school autonomy.
Why it matters: The bill strengthens the legal framework protecting religious exercise globally, which indirectly supports the principle that religious conscience deserves legal protection—a foundational concern for Christian families seeking religious exemptions, faith-based school autonomy, and conscience protections in education and healthcare.
Topic: Religious freedom & expression · classifier confidence 55%
What this changes
Amends existing law
Law today: The Immigration and Nationality Act currently sets various grounds for visa denial and inadmissibility to the United States, but does not explicitly restrict visas based on a person's direction, authorization, support for, participation in, or commission of violations of religious freedom.
If passed: This bill would add restrictions on visa issuance to foreign individuals who have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom. Christian families would benefit if members face persecution abroad—the law would bar perpetrators from entering the U.S. and potentially protect persecuted Christians seeking refuge or visiting the country.
AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.
Likely supporters & opponents
Likely support
- Religious-liberty advocacy organizations — Sanctioning those who persecute believers aligns American immigration law with the principle that religious freedom is a fundamental human right.
Likely opposition
- Diplomatic and foreign-policy advocates — Visa restrictions tied to religious persecution allegations could complicate diplomatic relations or be applied inconsistently across countries.
- Due-process and civil-liberties organizations — Defining and proving 'violations of religious freedom' in visa adjudication could be vague or subject to abuse without clear criteria and judicial review.
AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.
Should I support this?
Likely helpful for Christian families
The bill directly protects religious freedom by using immigration law to hold accountable those who persecute believers abroad. For Christian families, especially those with ties to persecuted communities, this reinforces U.S. commitment to religious liberty and may offer some deterrent or accountability for religious persecution worldwide.
An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.
Official summary
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to restrict visa issuance to individuals who have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.
Sponsors
- Tim Moore (R)
- Anna Luna (R)
- Julie Fedorchak (R)
- Mike Kennedy (R)
- Keith Self (R)
- Addison McDowell (R)
- Charles Fleischmann (R)
- Nancy Mace (R)
- Glenn Grothman (R)
- Greg Steube (R)
- Daniel Webster (R)
Status timeline
- 2026-04-02Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.H
- 2026-04-02Introduced in HouseH
H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly