Right decision? State department revokes visas of 6 foreigners over ‘vile’ Charlie Kirk assassination comments as free speech advocates warn of the dangers of policing and politicizing thoughts & speech.
‘I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it….’
Free speech advocates have claimed that the Trump administration has entered murky waters after the State of Department’s announcement that it had revoked the visas of six foreigners who had made ‘derisive’ comments or seemingly cheering last month’s assassination of conservative pundit, Charlie Kirk.
The State Department according to a Tuesday release said it had reviewed thousands of online social media posts criticizing Kirk following his death at a Utah college campus on September 10, before electing to revoke the visas of six foreign nationals after coming across ‘disturbing’ content.
BREAKING 🚨 Visa Revocations.
“You are not welcome in this country”
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio— Visa revocations are under way. If you are here on a visa and cheering on the public assassination of a political figure, prepare to be deported. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QAJZM2Dx9P
— April Color (@ColorApril) September 16, 2025
Trump administration latest crackdown on dissent
Define disturbing? Define offended? Define politically correct? Define free speech? Define free to drop one’s subscription and seek out a new provider? Define willing to accept that not all points of views will be uniform and that some will be unpalatable and even critical and yes, demeaning.
Among those who had their US visas cancelled was an Argentine who said Kirk ‘devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric’ and deserves to burn in hell, as well as a South African who said those grieving Kirk were ‘hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom.’
A Mexican national who has also had his visa revoked said Kirk ‘died being a racist, he died being a misogynist… there are people who deserve to die.’
A Brazilian national said Kirk ‘died too late’ and blamed the conservative activist for ‘a Nazi rally where they marched in homage to him.’
The final two foreigners were a German national and Paraguayan national. The former said ‘when fascists die, democrats don’t complain’ and the latter called Kirk a ‘son of a b**** [who] he died by his own rules.’
The revelation came after Donald Trump posthumously awarded Kirk America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio ‘will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws,’ the State Department said.
The dangers of policing and politicizing thoughts and speech
‘Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.’
The move is the latest in a sweeping trend in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination which has led to a wide cache of individuals being cancelled, fired, defunded or censured for comments which seemingly celebrated or advocated the conservative pundit’s murder.
Albeit tasteless and hardly congruent to a harmonious work environment, critics have expressed concern that the measures impinge on freedom of thought and speech at the threat of censure. While pointing to the first amendment which protects citizens and legal immigrants the right to free expression.
Along with what used to be tolerated, now being weaponized as a means to disavow an individual’s rights and legal status and seemingly force a population to be compliant and non confrontational.
Conor Fitzpatrick, an attorney at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) told the dailymail: ‘You can’t defend “our culture” by eroding the very cornerstone of what America stands for: freedom of speech and thought.
‘The Trump administration must stop punishing people for their opinions alone. The Supreme Court has been clear that noncitizens have a right to freedom of speech.
‘In America, no one should fear a midnight knock at the door because of their political views.’
FIRE is suing the administration to challenge the provisions that Rubio is using to deport individuals for their speech.
Meanwhile Vice President JD Vance and other top US officials have encouraged people to call out ‘offensive’ language about Kirk that they see online.
In a post shared on X last month, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau asked social media users to copy him on any relevant posts, saying he was personally ‘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.’
In its latest update, the Trump administration has stated that it is reviewing the status of the more than 55 million current U.S. visa holders for potential violations of its standards.
