Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that President Donald Trump’s administration is placing visa restrictions on foreign authorities, sleazy so-called “fact-checkers,” and other individuals “who are complicit in censoring Americans.”
In a statement on X, Rubio noted that foreign entities have “harassed” the American people in an effort to deny them their God-given free speech rights.
“For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights,” 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.
“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.
Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans.…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 28, 2025
“Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country,” Rubio added.
“Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.”
Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 28, 2025
The United States has long condemned censorship and repression by the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and the Iranian and Cuban regimes.
The Trump administration has more recently added criticism against allies in Europe.
Vice President JD Vance argued that the European Union’s Digital Services Act could effectively export European-style censorship to the U.S. through pressure against American tech companies.
In February, Vance accused European leaders at the Munich Security Conference of suppressing dissenting opinions by categorizing those views as “misinformation” and “disinformation.”
The vice president specifically cited the United Kingdom’s prosecution over silent prayer outside an abortion clinic, the annulment of the Romanian 2024 presidential election results over alleged foreign interference, the conviction of a Christian activist in Sweden for burning a Quran, and Germany policing anti-feminist views online.
“What I worry about is the threat from within – the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values,” Vance said at the time.
Vance reiterated free speech concerns with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office later that month.
As protests and riots against mass migration erupted across the U.K. last summer in response to the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, British authorities threatened to possibly extradite and jail U.S. citizens for spreading “misinformation” online.
They were accused of violating the country’s “anti-hate” laws.
Those laws can see people jailed for expressing their views on social media.
The 17-year-old suspect was born in the U.K. to parents from Rwanda, according to reports.
The American people have also come under attack from the “fact-checking” cottage industry.
While social media platforms have recently distanced themselves from “fact-checkers” in the United States, foreign “fact-checking” organizations are still able to censor Americans on Facebook and Instagram.
