WASHINGTON — A South African national is among six foreigners whose United States visas have been revoked by the Trump administration after they made critical social media comments about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The US State Department announced the visa revocations on Tuesday, saying the country “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”
According to the State Department, the South African national mocked Americans grieving Kirk’s death, saying “they’re hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom” and alleging Kirk “was used to astroturf a movement of white nationalist trailer trash.”
The department did not identify the individual by name but posted screenshots of the social media comments with usernames redacted.
Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative political activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on 10 September whilst speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, calling him a “great American hero” and “martyr” for freedom.
Other nationals affected
The other five individuals whose visas were revoked came from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Paraguay.
An Argentine national reportedly said Kirk “devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric” and deserves to burn in hell, whilst a Mexican national allegedly stated that Kirk “died being a racist, he died being a misogynist” and that “there are people who deserve to die.”
The State Department said it “continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
Free speech concerns
The visa revocations have raised questions about legality and free speech protections. Legal experts have warned that the actions may violate the First Amendment, which applies to anyone in the United States, not only American citizens.
Harold Hongju Koh, who served as the State Department’s legal adviser during the Obama administration, told CNN that revoking visas based on statements about Kirk’s death is “a First Amendment violation.”
“It shouldn’t matter whether you agree with what they say or not, but the idea that they lose their visa over this is essentially violating the first premise of US Supreme Court First Amendment law,” said Koh, now a professor of international law at Yale University.
The Trump administration has undertaken wider crackdowns on speech deemed offensive following Kirk’s death. Several journalists and teachers have been fired or disciplined for their comments, whilst late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel temporarily had his show taken off air.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in September that visa revocations were “underway” for people who praised Kirk’s death. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau directed consular officials to monitor social media comments and urged internet users to report posts “praising, rationalising, or making light of” the assassination.
The State Department did not specify whether any of the six individuals are currently in the United States or what types of visas they held.
President Trump and Secretary Rubio “will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws,” the department said. “Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.”
