Overview
- The State Department announced visa restrictions under INA Sections 212(a)(3)(C) and 237(a)(4)(C), generally barring entry and authorizing DHS removal proceedings for covered individuals already in the United States.
- Under Secretary Sarah Rogers identified the five as Thierry Breton, Imran Ahmed, Josephine Ballon, Anna‑Lena von Hodenberg, and Clare Melford after Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the policy statement.
- Officials said the action targets efforts to pressure U.S. tech firms to censor, demonetize, or suppress American viewpoints, and warned the list could expand.
- The administration framed the move as part of a broader pushback against the EU’s Digital Services Act and the UK’s Online Safety Act, linking the step to ongoing objections to European regulation of U.S. platforms.
- Reactions were swift, with Breton calling the ban a “witch hunt” and the Global Disinformation Index denouncing it as an authoritarian attack, while the State Department noted certain family members may also be covered and that Visa Waiver travelers can be flagged through DHS screening.