US bans visas for foreign officials: According to Marco Rubio, “Foreigners who seek to subvert American rights should not be allowed to visit our nation.”
A new strategy that targets foreign authorities and those “complicit” in restricting Americans’ freedom of speech was unveiled by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
“For expressing their right to free expression, Americans have been “fined, hounded, and even punished by foreign authorities,” Rubio wrote on X. “Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans,” Rubio stated.
Free speech, he underlined, is a fundamental American prerogative over which “foreign governments have no authority.”
“Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country,” said Rubio.
Whether in “Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere,” he cautioned, “passive treatment” of those who “undermine” American rights is over.
Separately, Rubio declared it is “unacceptable” for foreign officials to target Americans for posts on social media or to put pressure on US platforms to implement content moderation guidelines. He claimed that those measures “encroach” on US sovereignty and jeopardize the country’s “fundamental right to free speech.”
The State Department issued a warning that the new rules might also have an impact on “certain family members”.
The announcement comes as reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Trump administration had ordered a halt to student visa interviews while it examined extending social media screening for international students.
At prominent campuses like Harvard and Stanford, the Trump administration has cancelled the visas of over 1,000 students who were participating in political demonstrations or pro-Palestinian activities.
Visas are privileges, not rights, according to Rubio, and the US still has the final say over admissions.
