Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act of 2026

119th Congress Introduced by Jim Banks and 7 co-sponsors

The bill bars admission to foreign officials or individuals who directed or carried out particularly severe religious freedom violations.

Introduced in Senate

Purpose and intent

Introduces a new visa-designation provision to restrict admission to individuals who have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.

The bill aims to identify and bar foreign officials or individuals who have engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom from entering the United States.

Key provisions

Section 2: Restricting visa issuance to violators of religious freedom

Amends Section 212(a)(2)(G) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to define ineligibility for admission based on religious freedom violations.

In general terms, an alien is inadmissible if:

(i) While serving as a foreign government official, the individual was responsible for, or directly carried out, particularly severe violations of religious freedom; or
(ii) Outside the United States, the individual directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, was responsible for, or carried out particularly severe violations of religious freedom (or related violations) as defined in the Basing statute.

The term “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” aligns with definitions in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6402(13) and 6402(16)).

Public disclosure of inadmissibility (Transparency with caveats)

Public notice requirement (II)(I)(I)-(II):

The Secretary of State would post on a publicly accessible State Department website:
The names of all aliens determined to be inadmissible under the new clause.
The countries or locations where the identified violations occurred.

There is an exception for sensitive cases:

On a case-by-case basis, the Secretary of State can determine that public disclosure of a particular alien’s identity would have adverse foreign policy consequences.
In such cases, the Secretary may exclude the individual from disclosure.
The Secretary must submit a semi-annual report to Congress explaining the reasons for such exclusions (per the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, 22 U.S.C. 2723(a)).

Affected individuals and entities

Foreign nationals who, in any capacity (including as foreign government officials or individuals outside the U.S.), have directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out “particularly severe” violations of religious freedom would become ineligible for U.S. entry.

The bill requires enhanced transparency regarding who is barred, by publicly listing names and the locations of violations, with a discretionary exception and Congress reporting requirements.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 15, 2026.

The act is titled the “Banning Perpetrators of Religious Persecution Act of 2026.”

The bill establishes a process for visa inadmissibility and a public reporting mechanism, but does not specify other immigration procedural timelines beyond the public notice and semi-annual reporting requirements.

Additional notes

Co-sponsors include: James Lankford, Ted Budd, John Kennedy, Tom Cotton, Jim Banks, Ted Cruz, Ashley Moody, and Marsha Blackburn.

The measure builds on existing U.S. law related to religious freedom and immigration, expanding eligibility criteria for visa denial to persons with a proven record of religious freedom violations.

If you’d like, I can map the bill’s provisions to specific sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act and provide a side-by-side comparison with current law.

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