USCIRF Urges Resumption of Lautenberg-Specter Program

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the Trump administration, as it reviews U.S. refugee policy, to prioritize reopening the legal pathway that allows Jews, Christians, Baha’is, and other persecuted religious minorities from Iran and the former Soviet Union to resettle in the United States.

“For decades, the Lautenberg-Specter program has allowed members of oppressed religious groups to escape Iran and the former Soviet states, serving as a concrete example of the United States’ commitment to religious freedom,” said USCIRF Commissioner Susie Gelman. “Pausing this lifeline places already vulnerable individuals at heightened risk of persecution. It also jeopardizes host countries’ willingness to provide safe harbor for applicants while they undergo U.S. vetting.”       

Originally enacted in 1990 for Jews and Evangelical and other Christians in the former Soviet Union with close family ties in the United States, the program was expanded to Iranian religious minorities in 2004. Since then, Congress has annually reauthorized it on a bipartisan basis through what is known as the Lautenberg-Specter amendment. Applicants undergo rigorous background and security checks by U.S. law enforcement agencies while they remain in a temporary host country outside the United States. During processing and upon resettlement, individuals in the program are financially supported by sponsors in the United States.  

“The Lautenberg-Specter program furthers two of President Trump’s key foreign policy priorities—promoting religious freedom abroad and countering Iran.” said USCIRF Commissioner Vicky Hartzler. “Resuming the resettlement of these vulnerable religious minority refugees would send a clear signal that the U.S. government prioritizes helping victims of persecution who legally seek the protection of the United States.”  

USCIRF has long supported the Lautenberg-Specter program, including by repeatedly recommending that Congress authorize it permanently. In January 2023, USCIRF convened a hearing on Religious Freedom and Women’s Rights in Iran that highlighted the program’s importance, including through the story of a resettled Iranian Christian. In February 2025, USCIRF hosted a public event, Standing with the Silenced, that included remarks from a Ukrainian Christan resettled to the United States through the program.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom in Egypt

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report on religious freedom in Egypt:

Egypt Country Update – This report assesses the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Egypt. While in certain respects the government continues to support initiatives that selectively promote religious diversity and tolerance, Egypt is systematically enforcing laws, policies, and judicial decisions that repress non-Muslim religious life, including for Coptic Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Qur’anists.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate Egypt as a “Special Watch List,” or SWL, country for engaging in systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].

USCIRF Marks the 10th Anniversary of the Execution of 21 Christians in Libya

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) solemnly commemorates the 10th anniversary of the ruthless abduction and execution in Libya of 21 Christian migrant workers by Islamic State – Libya, an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  

“Today we remember the 21 young men who were brutally murdered by ISIS solely for being Christian,” said USCIRF Commissioner Vicky Hartzler. “The U.S. government must continue to be an unrelenting voice against violence that targets religious communities, including Coptic Christians.”

In February 2015, ISIS published the final moments of one Ghanaian and twenty Coptic Orthodox men working in Libya. ISIS militants had kidnapped the men in separate incidents, then forcibly marched them to a beach. There, all refused to renounce their faith before the militants executed them.

“While Libyan courts have convicted some of the ISIS executioners, the country’s broader ongoing environment of impunity undermines religious freedom,” USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Elsanousi. “USCIRF encourages the United States to support efforts to help stabilize the country in a way that secures freedom of religion or belief for all Libyans.”

USCIRF’s 2023 Factsheet provides an overview of increasing violations of religious freedom in Libya.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]