US mulls denying visa to fact-checkers & censors as Trump administration tightens noose on immigration

Amid the US's crackdown on immigration, reports are emerging that President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to deny issuance of a visa for people whom it deems to have engaged in censoring the free speech of American citizens. The move is detailed in a State Department memo which was sent to overseas missions this week. It was first reported by Reuters and then by NPR.

The memo in question directs consular officials to deny visas to any applicant “responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the US”. The order requires enhanced vetting of applicants to “see if they have worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others”, Reuters reported.

According to the report, the regulation would initially focus on applicants for H-1B visas, which are typically given to highly skilled foreign workers in the technology industry, among other sectors. However, it will apply to all visa applications.

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It is pertinent to note that the directive came months after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to bar entry to the US to anybody perceived to be suppressing the free speech “essential to the American way of life”.

“Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of travelling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over,” Rubio wrote in a post on X in May.

Meanwhile, NPR reported that the memo was sent to US foreign stations on Tuesday and diplomatic officials were informed to turn down visa applications from anybody who worked on fact-checking, content moderation, or other activities the Trump administration considers ‘censorship’ of Americans’ speech”.

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The officials were told to scrutinise for evidence an applicant’s work history, including going through their LinkedIn profiles and other social media accounts, and looking for mentions in media articles of “activities including combatting misinformation, disinformation or false narratives, content moderation, compliance, and trust and safety”.

“If evidence emerges to indicate to a vetting officer that an individual was engaged in censorship activities, you should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible [for a visa]”, the memo stated. This is not the first restriction imposed by the Trump administration on the H-1B visas.

In September, the president introduced a $100,000 fee for new applicants for the visa classification, a move analysts said at the time could stifle economic growth in the US and provoke a “ brain drain” to other countries.

In a statement to The Guardian, the State Department shared its position on the recent memo. “While we do not comment on allegedly leaked documents, make no mistake, the Administration has made clear that it defends Americans’ freedom of expression against foreigners who wish to censor them. We do not support aliens coming to the US to work as censors muzzling Americans,” a department spokesperson said.

“In the past, the President himself was the victim of this kind of abuse when social media companies locked his accounts. He does not want other Americans to suffer this way. Allowing foreigners to lead this type of censorship would both insult and injure the American people,” it added.