Because of “censorship”: USA introduces new visa restrictions

The US government introduces new visa restrictions for foreigners, which in its opinion limit the freedom of expression of US Americans. “Today I announce new visa restrictions that will apply to foreign civil servants and people who are involved in the censorship of Americans,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Whether in Latin America, Europe or elsewhere – the times of the forgiving treatment of those who undermine the rights of Americans are over.”

The US State Department said that it was unacceptable that foreign officials would issue arrest warrants against US citizens due to contributions on American social media platforms or threaten them while they are on US soil. Likewise, it is unacceptable if “foreign officials from American technology platforms require global content moderation guidelines or to take part in censorship measures that go beyond their responsibility and have an impact on the United States”.

This will no longer be tolerated in the future, such measures violate the sovereignty of the United States, the ministry said. Rubio wrote on the X platform “that Americans have been finishing, harassed and even charged by foreign authorities for too long if they perceive their right to freedom of expression”.

Further details on the new measure initially remained open. The US State Department emphasized that family members of the people affected can also fall below the visa restrictions. The US government under President Donald Trump has been pursuing a tough line in the awarding of certain visas since taking office. In the past few months, some foreign students have been withdrawn their residence permit.