WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has revoked the visas of six foreign nationals who U.S. officials determined mocked or downplayed the assassination of a conservative activist. charlie kirk last month.
The State Department announced Tuesday that after reviewing online social media posts and clips about Kirk, who died while speaking on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10, it determined his visa should be revoked.
The announcement was made as President Donald Trump took office. confer upon him posthumously The Presidential Medal of Freedom is America’s highest civilian honor. in kirk’s funeral In September, President Trump called him a “great American hero” and a “martyr” to freedom.
The administration and its allies have targeted people who made comments about Kirk, leading to firings and other disciplinary actions of journalists, teachers and others, and raising concerns about free speech.
The six foreigners whose visas were revoked were from Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Paraguay and South Africa. they were not identified.
The State Department said President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will “protect our borders, our culture, and our people by enforcing our immigration laws.” “Foreigners who take advantage of American hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our own citizens will be excluded.”
Vice President J.D. Vance and other U.S. government officials are encouraging people to denounce offensive language about Kirk they see online. In an unusual tweet last month, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau urged social media users to emulate him in related posts, saying he was personally “tired of seeing people on social media glorifying, justifying, or downplaying this event, and have directed our consular staff to take appropriate action.”
In addition to Tuesday’s actions, the administration is stepping up efforts to identify and potentially expel thousands of foreign nationals in the United States, particularly students, for inciting or participating in unrest or publicly supporting protests against Israeli military operations in Gaza. The government also denied visas to applicants whose social media histories were critical of government policies.
High-profile cases include expelling South Africa’s ambassador to the United States for comments critical of President Trump, revoking Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly, and revoking the visas of British punk rap duo Bob Villain. The agency said it is scrutinizing the current status of more than 55 million U.S. visa holders for potential violations of the standards.
These actions have been criticized by civil rights groups as violating the constitutional guarantee of free speech, which applies to everyone in the United States, not just American citizens.
