Overview
- The Trump administration imposed U.S. entry bans on five Europeans, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, citing what it calls extraterritorial censorship stemming from EU digital regulation.
- Also targeted are NGO leaders Imran Ahmed (CCDH), Clare Melford (GDI), and HateAid’s Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon, who work on disinformation and online hate.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said European ideologues coerced U.S. platforms to sanction American opinions, framing the move as a response to a global censorship complex.
- The European Commission requested clarifications, France condemned the decision as violating EU sovereignty, and officials in Spain and Germany criticized the bans as unacceptable.
- The step follows EU enforcement of the Digital Services Act, including a December fine on X, and comes as U.S. officials weigh broader visa guidance on content moderation specialists; no EU retaliation has been announced.