Trump Admin To Restrict Visas Of Foreign Officials Who Attack Free Speech
The Trump administration has signalled that significant actions will be taken against foreign government officials and other persons who are “complicit” in censoring Americans.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that new visa restrictions will be implemented against those who engage in such attacks on free speech.
“For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights,” Rubio wrote on X, adding “Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life – a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority.”
For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 28, 2025
Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans.…
“Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country,” Rubio further urged.
“Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over,” he emphasised.
There is no doubt that this action is directed toward EU officials pushing censorship policies such as their ‘Digital Services Act’, as well as similar moves in the UK with the ‘Online Safety Act’ and other counties such as Romania where government legislation is being used in an attempt to force social platforms, many of which are American owned, to apply draconian censorship rules.
Larger platforms such as YouTube and Facebook have just gone along with the push, while X and Elon Musk have spoken out against these self appointed overlords deeming anything they like to be ‘misinformation’ or ‘disinformation’.
Smaller platforms, such as Gab and Bitchute have simply ceased operating in the UK, unwilling to comply but unable to effectively fight back in defiance given their limited resources.
As we highlighted earlier this week, President Trump dispatched a ‘Free Speech Squad’ made up of officials from the State Department to the UK recently to investigate the ongoing erosion of rights there.
The visit demonstrates that Trump is acutely aware of the threat to freedom that is growing in Western democracies and is willing to intervene in foreign affairs as required.
Back in February, during a State visit to the White House, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer encountered a fired up Vice President JD Vance who directly called out Starmer’s crackdown on free speech in the UK.
“There have been infringements on free speech that actually impact not just the British… but also impact American technology companies and by extension American citizens,” Vance told Starmer and the reporters in the room.
By making it more difficult for foreign officials to freely travel to the US, the Trump administration clearly hopes to reverse and negate the creep against free speech overseas.
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