Overview
- State Department barred five Europeans — Thierry Breton, Imran Ahmed, Clare Melford, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon — accusing them of coercing U.S. platforms to censor or suppress American viewpoints.
- The action relies on a May visa policy targeting foreign actors deemed responsible for curbing protected U.S. speech, with DHS able to initiate removal proceedings for certain individuals already in the country.
- Washington cast the move as pushback to the EU’s Digital Services Act, days after Brussels fined X under the law, and has flagged potential countermeasures against European companies.
- The European Commission, France and Germany denounced the bans and said they could respond to defend EU digital rules and sovereignty.
- Under Secretary Sarah Rogers said the list could expand, while the targeted NGOs and Breton rejected the allegations, with Breton calling the move a McCarthy-era ‘witch hunt.’