Rubio issues policy against foreigners ‘responsible for censorship of protected expression’ in US

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy Wednesday targeting foreign nationals who are deemed “responsible for censorship of protected expression” in the U.S.

“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, 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,” Rubio said in a release. 

The State Department called it “unacceptable” to seek arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or residents over posts on U.S. social media platforms while 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,” Rubio said. 

The new policy comes on the heels of a feud between X owner Elon Musk and Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes after the social media platform was ordered to remove posts.

It also appears in line with a Republican-crafted “No Censors on Our Shores” act that cleared the House Judiciary Committee earlier this year. 

“Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country.  Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over,” Rubio added in a post on X.

According to the State Department, the new policy falls under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which gives the secretary of State the power to deny “any alien” whose entry into the U.S. “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”