Trump will restrict visas to "foreigners who have criticized the United States."

BarcelonaThe Donald Trump administration announced Wednesday a new change to its visa policy that will restrict entry to the country to all "foreign nationals" who "have censored the United States." The ban appears specifically targeted at representatives of governments that—like European governments—have implemented regulations that somehow restrict speech on US-owned technology platforms, such as X or Meta.

"It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants against US citizens or residents for social media posts on US platforms while they are physically present on US soil," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement to justify the move Thursday. The statement notes that it is "equally unacceptable" for "foreign officials to demand that US technology platforms adopt comprehensive content moderation policies," something he defines as an "invasion of US sovereignty."

"We see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials threatening freedom of expression in the United States. In some cases, foreign officials have taken blatant censorship actions against American technology companies and American citizens and residents when they do not have the authority to do so," the statement said.

The US top diplomat expanded a little further via his X account: "For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their freedom of expression rights. Today I am announcing a new policy of restricting our complicit censorship of Americans." He added: "Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not have the privilege of traveling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or anywhere else, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over."

The decision comes just the day after Politico leaked a cable sent by the State Department to embassies and U.S. consulates to temporarily halt interviews for new student visas while reviewing their social media screening policy for these candidates. A spokesperson for the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona explained to ARA that "every visa award is a national security decision" and, therefore, "every potential traveler to the United States goes through a security screening process by different government agencies." She added that since 2019, the State Department has required all visa applicants—not just students—to "provide social media identifiers on their immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms" for use in the screening process. "All visa applicants, regardless of visa type and location, are continuously verified," she added.