A high-ranking U.S. official has indicated that the country may revoke the visas of foreigners who are seen celebrating, rationalizing, or making light of the recent assassination of a leading political figure. This development follows the high-profile killing of a prominent political figure.
In a post on the social media platform X, the U.S. official stated, “In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.”
He continued, “I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.” The official did not elaborate on what this action would entail, but some users replied to his post with screenshots of accounts and posts. The official then replied to some of those comments, stating he would direct consular officials to monitor the comments.
When asked about the official’s post, a State Department spokesperson said, “This 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.” However, the spokesperson did not address questions about whether anyone had been identified for visa revocation or how consular officials would evaluate the flagged accounts.
The Trump administration has pursued a broad crackdown on immigration, which includes increasing social media vetting and revoking thousands of student visas.
