The Trump administration has revoked visas from six foreign nationals for social media posts that allegedly celebrated the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. The State Department announced it was identifying visa holders who 'celebrated the heinous assassination', stating that 'the United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans'.
Civil liberties advocates have condemned the move, warning it represents a dangerous crackdown on protected speech. Conor Fitzpatrick of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said: 'You can’t defend “our culture” by eroding the very cornerstone of what America stands for: freedom of speech and thought.' Carrie DeCell of the Knight First Amendment Institute called the visa revocations 'censorship, plain and simple'.
Among those affected was a South African national whose post attracted just 2,344 views, mocking Americans grieving Kirk's death. A German national had their visa cancelled for a post translating to 'when fascists die, democrats don’t complain'. Brazilian comedian Tiago Santineli, with over 430,000 X followers, lost his visa after posting 'Good riddance!' and other inflammatory comments about Kirk's assassination.
Santineli boasted on X that he was 'the world’s first comedian to be banned from entering the US because of a joke', adding: 'I can’t go to the US. But the worst thing is that Charlie Kirk will never be able to leave.' Paraguayan talkshow host Enrique 'Kike' Gamarra also had his visa revoked after calling Kirk 'a son of a bitch' on air.
The crackdown has raised questions about government surveillance of social media, as posts with minimal reach were targeted. The State Department characterised the posts as celebrating Kirk's death and attempting to justify his murder.
