Washington, DC — In the past twelve months alone, the Burmese military and pro-junta militia have launched systematic attacks on religious communities, creating a humanitarian crisis that threatens the lives of Burma’s religious minorities both at home and abroad.

400
Homes Burned in Single Attack
50+
Injured at Buddhist Festival Bombing
Hundreds
Christians & Muslims Killed Since 2024

Documented Atrocities Against Religious Communities

🔥 Recent Military Attacks on Places of Worship

📍 Sagaing Region – Muslim Community
The Burmese military and pro-junta militia attacked a Muslim village, burning down 400 homes and destroying two mosques, displacing an entire community of faithful Muslims.
📍 Chin State – Christian Communities
The army bombed three churches, killing six civilians including a pastor. This attack specifically targeted Christian places of worship and leadership.
📍 Northwestern Burma – Buddhist Festival
The junta bombed a Buddhist festival, killing dozens and injuring 50 people, demonstrating that even the majority religion is not safe from military violence.

These attacks demonstrate a pattern of systematic violence against religious gatherings and sacred spaces across all faith communities in Burma, from minority Christians and Muslims to majority Buddhists.

USCIRF Leadership Calls for Action

People of faith, especially religious minorities from Karen, Chin, and Kachin States, face egregious persecution if they are forced to return to Burma where rising violence is adding to the hundreds of Christians and Muslims that have been killed in attacks on houses of worship since 2024. USCIRF urges the Administration to extend and redesignate Burma for TPS to support the religious freedom of Burma’s religious minorities.
— Chair Vicky Hartzler, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

🙏 Religious Minorities at Greatest Risk

✝️ Christians – Karen State
✝️ Christians – Chin State
✝️ Christians – Kachin State
☪️ Muslims – Rohingya
☪️ Muslims – Sagaing Region
🕉️ Other Religious Minorities

Vice Chair Condemns Ongoing Assault

USCIRF condemns the Burmese military’s continued assault on its people and on places of worship. Without a safe country to return to or well-established refugee programs to rely on, religious minorities from Burma will be persecuted. TPS can save the lives of Burma’s religious minorities – Christians and Muslims – and frustrate the plans of Burma’s junta persecutors.
— Vice Chair Asif Mahmood, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Understanding Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

🛡️ What is TPS?

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of designated countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions that prevent their safe return.

For Burmese nationals in the United States: TPS currently protects them from deportation to a country where their lives would be at risk due to religious persecution and military violence.

Current Status: Burma’s TPS designation expires on November 25, 2025. Without extension, thousands of Burmese religious minorities face deportation to certain persecution.

The Junta’s Campaign of Legitimization

The junta’s rising military actions against its own people are part of an effort to force participation in upcoming “elections” meant to legitimize its dictatorial rule that has seen gross human rights violations, including a genocide against predominately Muslim Rohingya.

☪️ Rohingya Genocide Context

The Burmese military’s systematic campaign against the predominately Muslim Rohingya population has been internationally recognized as genocide. This brutal persecution set a precedent for the junta’s ongoing violence against all religious minorities.

The same military forces responsible for genocidal violence against Rohingya Muslims continue to target Christian communities in Karen, Chin, and Kachin States, as well as other religious minorities throughout Burma.

USCIRF’s Official Recommendation

📋 2025 Annual Report Designation

In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the State Department designate Burma as a “Country of Particular Concern” for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

This designation reflects the severity and persistence of religious persecution in Burma and underscores the urgent need for continued protection of Burmese nationals currently residing in the United States.

The Urgent Need for Extension

Without TPS protection, Burmese religious minorities in the United States face an impossible choice: remain in the U.S. illegally or return to Burma where they face:

  • Direct military attacks on their religious communities
  • Bombing and destruction of churches and mosques
  • Targeted killings of religious leaders and faithful
  • Forced displacement from ancestral lands
  • Participation in sham elections to legitimize junta rule
  • Ongoing genocide against Muslim populations
  • Systematic human rights violations

Call to Action

🚨 Urgent Administration Action Required

USCIRF urges the U.S. Administration to immediately extend and redesignate Burma for Temporary Protected Status before the November 25, 2025 deadline.

TPS Extension Can Save Lives

Extending TPS for Burma will protect religious minorities from persecution, preserve religious freedom, and frustrate the plans of Burma’s junta persecutors who seek to eliminate religious diversity through violence and intimidation.

⏰ Time is Running Out: TPS Expires November 25, 2025 ⏰