Overview

• On May 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions targeting foreign officials deemed complicit in censoring American citizens or US technology companies abroad.
• The policy may extend visa denials to family members of individuals responsible for suppressing protected speech under Rubio’s authority.
• The State Department halted all student visa interviews globally on May 27 while it reviews plans to vet applicants’ social media activity.
• US officials link the measures to opposition against the EU’s Digital Services Law, which they view as an overreach that threatens free expression.
• The administration notes it has already revoked thousands of visas from foreign nationals involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests, citing concerns over antisemitism and terrorism.