The United States has instituted a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the policy initiative on May 28, in a statement.
“Free speech is among the most cherished rights we enjoy as Americans,” said Secretary Rubio. “This right, legally enshrined in our constitution, has set us apart as a beacon of freedom around the world. Even as we take action to reject censorship at home, we see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials picking up the slack.”
“In some instances,” Secretary Rubio noted, “foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.”
Secretary Rubio warned, “It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil. It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.”
This visa restriction policy is pursuant to U.S. law, which authorizes the Secretary of State to render inadmissible any alien whose entry into the Unites States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.” Certain family members may also be covered by these restrictions.
“We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty,” said Secretary Rubio, “especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.”
"For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights,” said Secretary Rubio. “Free speech is essential to the American way of life — a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority.”
