{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415081", "Military.com article on Smith's legislation to address religious persecution in Nigeria'New Bill Calls For Stronger US Response to Religious Persecution in Nigeria'", "2025-11-07", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher H. Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", "chrissmith", "https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "By Nick Mordowanec\n\nPublished November 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM ET\n\nA Washington lawmaker has sponsored legislation calling on the U.S. State Department to advance religious freedom and protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria, telling Military.com that the situation has \u201cgotten significantly worse within the past year.\u201d\n\nPresident Donald Trump threatened this week to \"do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about\" and \"go into that now-disgraced country guns-a-blazing\u201d to counter what he and the administration have described as the targeting of Christians by Islamic militants in Africa\u2019s most populous nation.\n\nTrump has called Nigeria a \"disgraced country\u201d with a government that \"continues to allow the killing of Christians.\u201d On Thursday, the State Department said in a post on X that 80,000 visas belonging to Nigerians and other foreign nationals have been revoked since January.\n\nA man sells tomatoes and peppers at the market in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)\n\nRep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced H.R. 860, which he said updates and expands H.R. 220\u2014legislation he introduced earlier this year to under law provide congressional guidance \u201cthat the State Department can and must take to advance religious freedom and protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria.\u201d\n\nNo action was taken with the previous resolution introduced in March and referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.\n\nA vendor sells local newspapers with headlines referring to US President Donald Trump's comments about Nigeria, on the street of Lagos, Nigeria, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)\n\n\"The legislation supports President Trump\u2019s initiative in combating Christian persecution overseas and provides congressional input for the State Department\u2019s legally authorized actions, such as sanctions, to be used to persuade the Nigerian government to do the right thing,\u201d Smith told Military.com.\n\n\u201cIt also puts Nigeria on watch, sending a forceful message that the United States will not tolerate or enable the religious persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in that country, or anywhere else in the world,\u201d he added.\n\nSmith's legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).\n\nMilitary.com reached out to the U.S. embassy in Nigeria for comment.\n\nA State Department official told Military.com that they do not comment on pending legislation or legislative proposals.\n\n\"The level of violence against Christians in Nigeria is appalling,\" the official said. \"The government of Nigeria must provide safety, security and rule of law for Christians and protect religious freedom across the country.\n\n\"Authorities must address the threats posed by terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa in northern Nigeria and targeted violence perpetrated by Fulani ethnic militia and other violent groups.\"\n\nThe department looks forward to continuing to engage with the Nigerian government to address shared security priorities and advance regional peace and stability, the official added, which in turn \"will strengthen Nigeria\u2019s international reputation, attract foreign investment, and build trust among communities.\"\n\nSteps State Department Can Take\n\nSmith and bill co-sponsors highlight some of the actions the State Department can take to mitigate violence in Nigeria, including:\n\nProviding immediate humanitarian assistance to faith-based groups in Nigeria.\n\nConditioning U.S. foreign assistance, including global health programs, to address religious freedom violations and develop strategies for long-term peace and stability.\n\nCollaborating with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to impose targeted sanctions, visa bans, asset freezes, and other restrictive measures under the Global Magnitsky framework on individuals and entities responsible for egregious religious freedom violations in Nigeria, such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.\n\nAdding Fulani-Ethnic militias operating in Benue and Plateau States to the Entities of Particular Concern list.\n\nReaffirming the United States\u2019 commitment to promoting and protecting religious freedom and human rights worldwide.\n\n\u201cThe slaughter of innocent Christians in Nigeria demands a strong response from the United States. \u2026 This measure calls for setting verifiable conditions on any U.S. aid going to Nigeria. Nigeria must do more to protect all innocent individuals, including Christians, within its borders,\u201d said Rep. Huizenga in a statement.\n\nConcerns Since 2009\n\nOn Nov. 3 the president designated Nigeria as a \u201cCountry of Particular Concern\u201d (CPC).\n\nThe designation mirrors actions during Trump\u2019s first term. In 2019, the State Department designated Nigeria as a Special Watch List Country. One year later, it was designated as a \u201cCPC\u201d country as government officials say that violent attacks against religious communities in Nigeria \u201chave become tragically commonplace.\u201d\n\nHouse Foreign Affairs, Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations subcommittee and Western Hemisphere subcommittee Chairman Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, during a joint hearing on, 'The Global Zika Epidemic.' (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)\n\nThe United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended such a designation since 2009, due to what they call the Nigerian \u201cgovernment\u2019s engaging and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.\u201d\n\n\u201cUSCIRF applauds President Trump for speaking out on the religious freedom crisis in Nigeria and making Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern,\u201d USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler said in a statement. \u201cThe U.S. government can now develop a tough plan with Nigeria to ensure that perpetrators of violence are held to account, people of faith are protected, and those held hostage are rescued.\u201d\n\nNigerian Violence and Remedies\n\nSmith cited various reports about religious violence in Nigeria as impetus for him to elaborate upon his previous legislation.\n\nFigures compiled and published in August by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) claimed that roughly 19,100 churches have been attacked, looted, or shuttered since 2009.\n\nThey also suggested that in the first 220 days of 2025, more than 7,000 Christians (an average of 32 per day) were killed across the nation. That adds onto a death toll since 2009 that has reportedly eclipsed 185,000 dating back to 2009\u2014including some 125,000 Christians and 60,000 Muslims accused of being \u201cliberal\u201d or insufficiently radical.\n\nAnother 8,000 Christians have also been kidnapped by jihadist groups since approximately 16 years ago.\n\nSmith said he is \u201coptimistic\u201d that H.R. 860 will receive its due consideration in Congress.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=415081"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.604137010872364, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}