The Trump administration said it is canceling visas and starting deportation proceedings against foreigners who mocked or celebrated the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
On September 15, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X:
“foreigners who celebrate someone’s death are not welcome,” adding that “visa cancellations have already begun.” He continued, “We cannot give visas to people who believe it is fortunate that someone was murdered in a public place.” Rubio did not specify how many visas had been canceled or cite the legal basis.
According to officials, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau instructed overseas missions to monitor social media for posts mocking or insulting Kirk’s death and to take necessary action.
President Donald Trump expanded the warning to the media, saying critical coverage of Kirk could be considered hate speech. He added, “if the press behaves unfairly, they could be prosecuted,” citing a $16 million settlement with ABC and a $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said “hate speech leading to violence is not protected under the First Amendment” and argued that hateful expressions can be defined as crimes.
