Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act of 2026
Congress proposes visa bans and public naming for people tied to severe religious persecution
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Would block U.S. visas for foreign officials and others accused of serious violations of religious freedom.
- Covers people who ordered, helped fund, supported, took part in, or carried out religious persecution outside the U.S.
- Requires the State Department to post the names of people found ineligible for visas, plus where the abuses happened.
- Allows the State Department to keep some names off the public list if naming them could seriously harm U.S. foreign policy.
- Requires the State Department to explain those hidden-name decisions to Congress twice a year.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
EXCLUSIVE: Senate Republicans unveil legislation to restrict visa issuance to perpetrators of religious-based violence
Covers introduction of the Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act; explains visa ineligibility for those tied to severe religious persecution and the requirement (with exceptions) to publicly list inadmissible individuals.
‘Bar these malign actors’: Bill hopes to prevent foreigners who violate religious freedom from entering U.S.
Reports on the Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act and its visa restrictions for people accused of serious religious-freedom violations; summarizes the bill’s scope and purpose.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act of 2026
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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