Overview
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said five Europeans led efforts to coerce U.S. platforms to censor or demonetize American viewpoints, triggering visa restrictions that bar their entry.
- Under Secretary Sarah Rogers identified the targets as ex‑EU commissioner Thierry Breton, Imran Ahmed (CCDH), Clare Melford (GDI), and HateAid leaders Anna‑Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon.
- Rubio warned the list could grow and noted the Department of Homeland Security can initiate removal proceedings against certain individuals already in the United States.
- The European Commission, French President Emmanuel Macron and German officials condemned the action and defended the DSA as a democratically adopted, non‑extraterritorial framework.
- U.S. officials have tied the step to broader pushback after the EU fined X €120 million under the DSA and have previously signaled potential countermeasures against European firms, while the targeted groups called the bans an authoritarian attack on free speech.