EU, France Condemn U.S. Visa Bans on Thierry Breton and NGO Leaders

Washington accuses them of extraterritorial censorship tied to the EU's Digital Services Act.

Overview

President Trump's administration barred entry to five Europeans, naming ex–EU commissioner Thierry Breton alongside Imran Ahmed, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, Josephine Ballon, and Clare Melford.
The State Department says the targeted figures coerce U.S. platforms and restrict American speech, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio decrying what he calls extraterritorial censorship.
Brussels condemned the decision, requested information from Washington, and warned it could act quickly to defend the EU’s regulatory autonomy.
French and German officials expressed solidarity with those listed, with Emmanuel Macron labeling the measure intimidation aimed at weakening Europe’s digital sovereignty.
The clash follows EU enforcement of the Digital Services Act, including a €120 million fine on X this month, which U.S. officials argue unfairly targets American tech companies.