Trump administration restricts visas to Nigerians over alleged links to ‘anti-Christian violence’

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US State Department on Wednesday announced visa restrictions on Nigerians over alleged "anti-Christian violence,” while Nigerian officials said that both Muslims and Christians are being targeted in the country’s complex security environment.

“A new policy under … 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,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Rubio added the Trump administration 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.”

“This policy will apply to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom,” he wrote.

The development comes weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to send US forces into Nigeria if Africa’s most populous country did not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by terrorists. Trump also declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over killings of Christians, describing the situation as a “Christian genocide.”

Nigerian authorities denied the claims, maintaining that attacks in Nigeria are driven by criminal motives, land disputes, and resource competition, rather than religious faith.

“Christian communities and Muslim communities have been attacked by these extremists,” Nigerian Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris Malagi told Al Jazeera last month.

The country faces multiple overlapping crises, including attacks by Boko Haram, ISIS (Daesh)-affiliated groups, bandits targeting farmers, and violent clashes between pastoralists and local communities.

The country is home to more than 200 ethnic groups, with roughly 56% Muslims and 43% Christians, according to the US-based Pew Research Center.

Trump has shown particular interest in what he calls the persecution of white and Christian communities, including by cutting off most asylum claims excepting those from White South Africans, saying that they are victims of a genocide, a claim denied by most international observers.