According to an internal State Department cable, the Trump administration has reportedly instructed U.S. consular officers to subject visa applicants to increased scrutiny and deny those who have engaged in “censorship or attempted censorship” of protected speech within the United States.
Dated December 2, the directive to all U.S. missions orders consular officers to scrutinize resumes, LinkedIn accounts, and publicly available details to identify whether an applicant—or relatives traveling alongside them—has formerly been employed in sectors covering misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance, or online safety.
Per the Reuters-cited cable, officers must seek a determination of ineligibility if they discover proof that the person was “responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States.”
Although the directive encompasses all visa types, the cable mandates particular attention to H-1B candidates since they “often work in the tech industry, including at social media or financial firms that suppress protected expression.” These screening rules affect both first-time and returning applicants.
Reuters further noted that the previously undisclosed cable tells consular officers: “You must comprehensively investigate their work backgrounds to confirm they haven’t taken part in such activities.”
A senior State Department official informed Channel’s Gillian Turner: “While we don’t comment on purportedly leaked documents, rest assured, the Administration has clarified it protects Americans’ free speech from foreign censors. We oppose aliens entering the U.S. to serve as censors silencing Americans. Previously, the President himself experienced such mistreatment when social media platforms suspended his accounts. He doesn’t want fellow Americans to endure similar treatment. Permitting foreigners to spearhead such censorship would insult and harm the American populace.”
This development follows heightened administration condemnation of censorship in Europe. Vice President JD Vance addressed reports of a potential EU fine against X on December 4, posting on his official account: “Rumors are swirling that the EU commission will fine X hundreds of millions of dollars for not engaging in censorship. The EU should be supporting free speech, not attacking American companies over garbage.”
Further demonstrating the administration’s commitment to fighting censorship, Undersecretary of State Sarah Rogers posted a reply to a European parliament member, saying she was “revisiting some remarks for which people in Europe and also the U.K. have been investigated or arrested or jailed by their governments over the past few years,” and provided examples from Germany, the U.K., and Sweden.
She noted, among other points, “A German woman infamously got a tougher prison term than a convicted rapist after calling the attacker ‘a disgraceful pig.'”
The administration has previously tightened vetting procedures for student visas by instructing officers to screen applicants’ social-media activity for posts hostile to the United States. The President also imposed new H-1B fees in September as part of a broader immigration overhaul. The enhanced censorship-related screening represents the latest step in the administration’s effort to tie U.S. visa policy to its free-speech agenda.
Channel’s Gillian Turner and Reuters provided material for this article.