PRESS RELEASE

April 3, 2025

CONTACT:
Dede Laugesen,
Executive Director,
Save the Persecuted Christians
at [email protected],
or (719) 659-3121

Letter to POTUS Offers Recommendations for Immediate Executive Action to Defend and Advance ‘America First’ Principles Abroad

Advocates for Persecuted Christians Congratulate President Trump, Celebrate the Return of America’s Religious Freedom Champion to the White House

WASHINGTON, D.C.— In a joint letter to President Donald Trump, a large group of religious freedom and human rights advocates, subject matter experts and Christian leaders have conveyed: congratu-lations on his second term; appreciation for his strong support for religious freedom during the first one; and recommendations for executive action he can take now to protect and promote America First principles – preeminent among them being Religious Freedom – as a national security and foreign policy priority.

The joint letter initiated by Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) and her coalition partners was signed by 60 individuals, including Frank Gaffney, Dede Laugesen, Eric Metaxas, LTG/Rev. Jerry Boykin, Suzanne Grishman, Rev. Kevin Jessip, Ann Schockett, Robert Destro, Mariam Ibraheem, Mat Staver and many others eager to work alongside the Trump administration to help combat escalating anti-Christian sentiment, discrimination, harassment and persecution, abroad and at home.

The letter urges Mr. Trump to take action immediately in multiple areas, including:

• “Continue to advance Religious Freedom as an America First national security and foreign policy priority. Your 2020 Executive Order on International Religious Freedom (EO 13926) was not rescinded and is still in force. It should be reiterated as a whole-of-government strategy and fully implemented. Congress should be urged to give it statutory authority.”
• “Fully implement the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, as amended by the 2016 Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act.” Specific suggestions include: directing the Secretary of State to make religious freedom violations designations in strict accordance with the IRF Act’s mandate; quickly appointing an Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, as well as a Special Advisor on the National Security Council for International Religious Freedom; and restricting executive branch meetings with lobbyists for countries designated as Countries of Particular Concern.
• “Cease the routine use of waivers that exempt Countries of Particular Concern from the presidential actions mandated by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act. Instead, as the law requires, targeted Global Magnitsky visa and financial sanctions should consistently be levied on ‘foreign government officials responsible for especially severe violations of religious freedom.’”
• “Protect Americans from ‘Enemies Within.’ Designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.”
• “Issue a Memorandum to resolve the R1 religious workers’ visa backlog….The backlog affects religious workers’ ability to serve U.S. faith communities and can lead to clergy shortages.”
• “Make allowance for those seeking asylum in the U.S. due to violent, anti-Christian persecution to come to the U.S. and stay here while they are in danger.”
• “Commit to publicly addressing religious freedom violations in meetings with foreign leaders.

The letter also conveyed an appendix listing numerous country-specific concerns and recommendations for designations and other executive actions. Those concerns, recommendations and proposed executive actions are available online in our “Save the Persecuted Christians Areas and Countries Situation Reports and Recommendations for Action” section at SaveThePersecutedChristians.org.

In addition, the signatories encouraged President Trump to support relevant initiatives awaiting congressional action. Among them is a particular priority: Representative Chris Smith’s H.Res. 220 which would express the sense of Congress that Nigeria – the world’s deadliest place for persecuted Christians – should be designated and sanctioned as a Country of Particular Concern in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act. The American people are encouraged to take action by requesting that their elected representatives in the House co-sponsor H.Res. 220 and otherwise support its adoption as soon as possible.

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CONTACT: Dede Laugesen, [email protected], or (719) 659-3121