MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rubio announces visa restrictions for foreigners who exert censorship

In some cases, family members of the offenders may also be affected by the restrictions, Rubio said

The US government is taking action to protect free speech by introducing a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials who engage in censorship of protected expression, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday.

This policy aims to prevent foreign governments from issuing arrest warrants against US citizens or residents for social media activity on American platforms while on US soil, he explained. It also seeks to block foreign officials from pressuring American tech companies into adopting content moderation policies that extend beyond their jurisdiction. In some cases, family members of those officials may also be affected.

Rubio did not cite particular individuals or cases of censorship but stated that the restrictions would target those who are “complicit in censoring Americans.” (See also: US sanctions against De Moraes not to be ruled out )

 

The declaration went as follows:

”Free speech is among the most cherished rights we enjoy as Americans. This right, legally enshrined in our constitution, has set us apart as a beacon of freedom around the world. Even as we take action to reject censorship at home, we see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials picking up the slack. In some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.

Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States. It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil. It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States. We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.

This visa restriction policy is pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the Secretary of State to render inadmissible any alien whose entry into the United States 'would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' Certain family members may also be covered by these restrictions.