Global Respect Act Mandates Visa Bans for Foreign Officials Committing LGBTQI Human Rights Abuses

The Global Respect Act of 2025 is setting up a new, targeted mechanism to hold foreign officials and individuals accountable for severe human rights abuses against LGBTQI people outside the U.S. This bill requires the President to create and regularly update a public list of foreign persons found to be responsible for, or complicit in, acts like torture, prolonged detention without trial, forced disappearances, or other flagrant violations against individuals based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics (SEC. 4).

The Accountability Hammer: No Entry to the U.S.

Here’s the real-world impact: if you land on this list, you are banned from entering the United States. The bill mandates that any foreign person identified under this program must be denied a visa and deemed inadmissible (SEC. 5). For those who already have a U.S. visa, the Secretary of State is required to cancel it, and the Secretary of Homeland Security must remove them from the country if they are currently here. Think of it as a targeted travel ban specifically aimed at human rights abusers. This provision is designed to hit these individuals where it counts: their ability to travel, bank, and conduct business internationally.

The President’s Secret Annex and Waivers

While the goal is public accountability, the bill does include some executive discretion that is worth noting. The President can choose to keep certain individuals off the public list and place them in a secret annex if it’s deemed vital for U.S. national security (SEC. 4(e)). This means that while the public might see a list of abusers, the full scope could be hidden for geopolitical reasons. Furthermore, the President can waive the visa ban for a listed person if it’s necessary for national security interests or to comply with international agreements, provided Congress is notified 15 days in advance (SEC. 5(d)). This creates necessary flexibility for diplomacy, but it also provides a potential loophole if the administration prioritizes other foreign policy goals over accountability.

Tracking the Global Problem

Beyond the sanctions, this Act significantly beefs up how the U.S. government tracks these issues globally. It requires the State Department’s annual human rights reports to specifically include detailed information on violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms—like expression and assembly—when they target LGBTQI individuals (SEC. 8). This means the State Department will have to assign senior officers to actively monitor these abuses. For human rights activists and organizations working in countries where these abuses are rampant, this enhanced reporting provides crucial, detailed documentation that can be used to push for change locally and internationally.

Congress Wants More Sanctions

Finally, Congress is using this bill to send a strong signal to the White House. The Act includes a “Sense of Congress” urging the President to use existing sanctioning powers—beyond just visa bans—against the foreign persons identified on the list (SEC. 6). This is Congress essentially saying, “Don’t stop at just blocking their travel; hit their assets and finances, too,” pushing for maximum pressure on these bad actors who violate the fundamental rights to life and security.