Ted Cruz Leads Senate Push to Hold CCP Accountable for Crackdown on Christians
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is driving a Senate resolution that puts the Chinese Communist Party squarely on notice for its recent suppression of Christian communities. The measure aims to condemn systematic persecution and to push U.S. policy toward stronger steps in defense of religious liberty. This is a clear Republican effort to spotlight abuses and demand accountability from Beijing.
“The Chinese Communist Party is conducting yet another sweeping crackdown on Christians, and they are again targeting Pastor Jin and the Zion Church. The CCP fears anything it cannot directly control, perhaps most of all, faith,” Cruz said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The United States has powerful tools to provide protection and relief to people facing persecution and violence, and we should use those tools unless and until China releases the members of the Zion Church.”
The resolution explicitly calls out the CCP’s nationwide campaign against urban house churches and warns that this pattern is the largest coordinated crackdown of its kind in decades. It presses for the U.S. to reaffirm its global commitment to defend religious freedom and to oppose discrimination against believers. Lawmakers backing the effort want Washington to translate words into concrete policy moves.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., added forceful support for the measure and made the stakes plain. “The Chinese Communist Party’s campaign of repression against Christians, including the targeting of churches such as the Zion Church, is a violation of fundamental religious freedom rights. I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this resolution, which sends a clear message: faith is not a crime, and the United States condemns the recent alarming arrests of church leaders by CCP authorities,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Recent arrests have focused on prominent underground evangelical leaders, including Pastor Jin Mingri of the Zion Church, whose family includes U.S. citizens. Chinese authorities detained multiple pastors and church workers across major cities, signaling a coordinated and widespread sweep. Those detained came from congregations in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Beihai, Jiaxing and Huangdao.
Grace Jin, Mingri’s daughter, shared the family’s response to the U.S. attention and support. “His efforts demonstrate that the world is watching on as the Chinese government unjustly imprisons pastors and church leaders for the peaceful exercise of their faith. Thank you to leaders here and abroad for all the support and solidarity,” Grace told Fox News Digital. Her remarks underscore how American diplomatic pressure can matter personally.
The resolution also notes longstanding U.S. assessments that place China among the worst offenders on religious freedom, a designation repeatedly made by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Republican sponsors argue that persistent labeling without follow-up actions is not enough. They want tangible measures that protect believers and penalize abusive actors inside China.
Part of the push includes calls to use sanctions, visa restrictions, and targeted diplomatic moves to increase the cost of repression for Chinese officials. Supporters say these are standard, responsible tools that defend basic human dignity and signal that the U.S. will not look the other way. The message is that religious liberty is a core American value and should shape the China policy agenda.
Advocates in Congress emphasize that the crackdown is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of tightening control over civil society and faith communities. Republicans leading the effort are framing the resolution as a test of American resolve to defend persecuted religious minorities. They argue that standing up for faith abroad reinforces national credibility and moral leadership.
Families of detainees and church members remain fearful and uncertain about the fates of their loved ones. Congressional Republicans pressing the resolution want the U.S. to maintain pressure until detainees are released and Beijing halts mass detentions of faith leaders. Their approach pairs vocal condemnation with proposed policy responses to try to turn attention into relief for those suffering.
CHINESE UNDERGROUND CHURCH PASTOR, FATHER OF US CITIZENS, DETAINED BY AUTHORITIES, FAMILY SAYS
