WASHINGTON (KABC) — The Trump administration suggested Thursday it could revoke existing visas or deny them to applicants if they celebrated or made light of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on X saying he’s directed consular officials to “undertake appropriate action.”
“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action,” he wrote. “Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.”
A State Department spokesperson told ABC News that the Trump administration “does not believe that the United States should grant visas to persons whose presence in our country does not align with U.S. national security interests” when asked how it would implement the policy announced by Landau.
Under President Donald Trump, the State Department has ramped up what it calls “expanded screening and vetting” of many visa applicants’ social media accounts, requiring that they set their online profiles to public and inspecting their feeds for posts it finds anti-American or antisemitic.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that international students and other foreign nationals who were deemed to have demonstrated support for Hamas may have their visas revoked.
The State Department has utilized AI technology to review foreign nationals’ social media accounts for posts that run counter to the U.S.’ national security interests.
The administration has faced legal challenges over concerns for First Amendment protections and due process, but it has argued that visas are granted at the discretion of the State Department and that they are a privilege, not a right, for any foreign national.
