Turkey Secretly Expelled 300+ Christian Pastors — Now the US Wants Them on a Watch List

USCIRF Demands Turkey Be Placed on Special Watch List After Expelling Over 300 Foreign Christians

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has called on the State Department to place Turkey on a Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom, citing the mass expulsion of foreign born Protestant Christians from the country.

Since 2019, Turkish authorities have used internal security codes, including "N 82" and "G 87," to systematically target hundreds of foreign Christians. At least 300 foreign Christian pastors, missionaries, and their family members have been deported or denied reentry into Turkey, with the government labeling them as national security threats without evidence, trial, or any effective means of appeal.

USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzle condemned the practice directly.

Turkey's arbitrary labeling of foreign born Protestant Christians as national security threats is meant to intimidate the Christian community and prevent them from gathering for worship.

Many of those targeted are ordained ministers who had lived in Turkey for decades, building their lives, families, and congregations in the country. The expulsions have devastated Protestant communities across Turkey, stripping churches of their pastors and fracturing entire congregations.

International pressure is mounting. The European Court of Human Rights recently communicated 20 cases to Turkey regarding the expulsions. The European Parliament also passed a resolution condemning the deportations as being carried out "under unsubstantiated national security pretexts and without due process."

ADF International, which represents several affected Christians, has been at the forefront of the legal battle. Director Kelsey Zorzi noted that these individuals "lawfully built their lives" in Turkey before being expelled without warning or legal justification.

Turkey has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed international criticism as interference in its domestic affairs.

Turkey Faces Growing International Backlash Over Christian Deportations

The USCIRF's 2026 annual report, set for release on March 4, is expected to formally reiterate the recommendation. In its 2025 report, the commission had already urged the State Department to place Turkey on the Special Watch List. The continued targeting of Christians signals that Ankara has shown no willingness to reverse course despite growing international condemnation.

The Crusader's Opinion

Turkey wants to be treated as a modern, Western allied nation while quietly purging Christians from its borders. Over 300 faithful servants of God, pastors who built their lives and ministries in Turkey for decades, thrown out like criminals under made up "national security" codes. No evidence. No trial. No appeal. Let us be absolutely clear about what this is: religious persecution, plain and simple. If a single Christian nation expelled 300 Muslim clerics, every international body on earth would be screaming about Islamophobia within hours. But when it is Christians being targeted? The world barely whispers. The hypocrisy is deafening. Turkey must be held accountable, and every Christian with a voice must demand it.

Take Action

• Contact the U.S. State Department and urge them to place Turkey on the Special Watch List: State Department Contact Form
• Support ADF International's legal fight for expelled Christians: adfinternational.org
• Pray for and support persecuted Christians through The Shepherd's Shield: www.TheShepherdsShield.org
• Support Open Doors' work with persecuted believers in Turkey and the Middle East: opendoorsusa.org
• Share this story on social media to raise awareness. Tag your representatives and demand they speak out against Turkey's persecution of Christians.