LIBERTARIAN ANTI IMPERIALISM
The US State Department’s Growing Thoughtcrimes Obsession – OpEd
File photo of Secretary Marco Rubio speaking with the press. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)
By Adam Dick
The Trump administration’s Department of State has been placing a high priority on denying the granting of visas to, and revoking visas from, people who have said things critical of the Israel government, including the Israel government’s war activities.
That looks like it is an early step of a trend at the United States government department. In a new Fox News interview this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced his desire that the State Department would make an addition to the list of thoughtcrimes for which visas may be denied and revoked.
Rubio stated: “We should not be giving visas to people who are gonna come to the United States and do things like celebrate the murder, the execution, the assassination of a political figure. We should not. And, if they’re already here, we should be revoking their visa.”
The strange thing is that the United States government and its tied-at-the-hip Israel government have a longtime penchant for undertaking just such murders, executions, and assassinations. People’s approval of those killings, though, should not be expected to cause much of a stir at the State Department. Don’t hold your breath for expressed approval of the assassination (ordered by Trump in his first presidential term) of Iran General Qassim Suleimani, for example, to result in denials or revocations of visas. The same goes for expressed approval of recent killings by the Israel government of “political figures” in Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen.
Rubio suggested immediately after his comment regarding changes in visas policy that the thoughtcrimes punished could expand into a much longer list. “Why would we want to bring people into our country that are gonna engage in negative and destructive behavior?” he declared. “Negative and destructive behavior” sure is a broad category. How close to qualifying to be Rubio’s bestie will someone have to come to make the visa cut?
- This article was published at Ron Paul Institute
Adam Dick
Adam Dick is a Senior Fellow at Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. Adam worked from 2003 through 2013 as a legislative aide for Rep. Ron Paul. Previously, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Board of Elections, a co-manager of Ed Thompson's 2002 Wisconsin governor campaign, and a lawyer in New York and Connecticut.
US is cancelling visas for people 'celebrating' Charlie Kirk's death, Rubio says
"America will not host foreigners who celebrate the death of our fellow citizens," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X.
The United States has been revoking and denying visas to people celebrating the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"America will not host foreigners who celebrate the death of our fellow citizens," Rubio said in a post on X on Tuesday.
"Visa revocations are under way. If you are here on a visa and cheering on the public assassination of a political figure, prepare to be deported," he added.
Rubio's post followed a similar warning last week by US Deputy Secretary of State Christoper Landau.
"I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," Landau wrote on social media.
"I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action," he added.
It is unclear how many visas have been revoked or denied, or on what grounds the State Department is taking such action. It also remains clear whether any European citizens were affected by Washington's latest policy.
Kirk, 31, was shot dead on 10 September while speaking to students at Utah Valley University. The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody on Friday after a 33-hour manhunt.
Prosecutors brought a murder charge against Robinson on Tuesday. They allege that he shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on campus.
Following the fatal shooting, US conservatives have criticised people who disparaged Kirk or mocked his death.
Several individuals in sectors such as aviation, education and the media have lost their jobs or been suspended over their social media posts about Kirk, according to reports.
For example, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said over the weekend that American Airlines had grounded pilots who he said were celebrating Kirk's death.
"This behaviour is disgusting and they should be fired," Duffy said in a post on X.
The Trump administration's threats to crack down on what it calls the "radical left" after Kirk's assassination raised fears that the US right is trying to harness anger over the killing to suppress political opposition
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has blamed "left-wing radicals" for the shooting and said "they will be held accountable".
"There's free speech and then there's hate speech," Bondi said in an interview this week.
"We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."
Her interview quickly drew criticism from commentators on both the left and the right, who highlighted that there is no exception for hate speech under the First Amendment.
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