Religious Freedom panel faults State Department for missing annual report on violations

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is calling out the State Department for failing to comply with the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the federal law that requires transmission of an annual report on religious freedom violations to Congress.

USCIRF also said the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the refugee program and cap the refugee ceiling at 7,500 is hampering refugees fleeing the most egregious forms of religious persecution.

The State Department’s noncompliance with the law’s requirements has allowed a lapse in punitive measures for religious freedom violators, the commission said.

“As the Trump administration failed to release the IRF report and issue comprehensive designations by December 2025, any presidential action taken as a result of these designations terminates by the end of 2025 unless expressly reauthorized by law,” USCRIF said in its March 4 annual report, which contained recommendations for the State Department to advance religious freedom around the world including increasing the ceiling on refugee admissions.

Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the State Department is required to release an annual report on international religious freedom conditions by May 1 each year. The ambassador at large for international religious freedom is required to assist the State Department in assembling the IRF report but the position remains vacant. The Republican-led Senate did not confirm the Trump administration’s nominee for the position, Mark Walker, before the end of 2025.

The commission recommended the Trump administration promptly appoint an ambassador at large for international religious freedom and to fill vacant key roles related to international religious freedom.

Refugees ‘in immediate need’

USCIRF said the State Department’s suspension of foreign aid “left hundreds of victims of religious persecution receiving support in immediate need of lifesaving assistance in countries such as Afghanistan, Burma, Egypt, Nigeria, and Vietnam.” The commission recommended the State Department prioritize funding for foreign assistance programs that promote religious freedom.

The report said U.S. funding cuts “contributed to 11.6 million refugees, including many fleeing religious persecution, losing access to humanitarian assistance.”

USCIRF said the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the refugee program and cap the refugee ceiling at 7,500 “leaves little room to resettle refugees fleeing the most egregious forms of religious persecution.” USCIRF said 130,000 conditionally approved refugees, including about 15,000 registered Iranian Christians, remain in limbo as a result.

The commission recommended the State Department increase the admissions ceiling for refugees, resume resettlement programs, and reestablish full asylum access for individuals fleeing religious persecution.

USCIRF urged the State Department to implement policy regarding visa restrictions on religious freedom violators, especially those originating from countries with special watch list and country-of-particular-concern (CPC) designations.

2026 USCIRF recommendations

The commission’s report recommended the State Department designate five new countries as CPCs: Syria, Afghanistan, India, Libya, and Vietnam, and to redesignate the 13 countries, including Nigeria, that were last placed on the watchlist in 2023.

USCIRF recommended that Algeria and Azerbaijan maintain their status on the special watch list, and to add nine countries to the list, including Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Qatar, and Uzbekistan.

The commission separately announced its recommendation for Turkey to be on the special watch list in February, as it had previously called for in 2025. The recommendation follows moves by the European Parliament and European Court of Human Rights in the past month to censure Turkey over its targeting of Christians.