US threatens action against foreigners praising Charlie Kirk killing
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Foreigners “praising, rationalising, or making light” of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk will face "appropriate action".
PHOTO: ANNA WATTS/NYTIMES
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- US may act against foreigners praising violence, following a political figure's assassination, according to Deputy Secretary Landau.
- Landau directed consular officials to monitor social media posts and take "appropriate action," but details remain unspecified.
- The State Department affirmed alignment with national security interests for visa granting, amid existing immigration crackdown.
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WASHINGTON - US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Sept 11 warned that Washington may take action against foreigners “praising, rationalising, or making light” of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk,
“In light of (the) horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” Mr Landau said in a post on social media platform X.
“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.”
Mr Landau did not elaborate on what such action would mean.
Some users replied to Mr Landau’s post with screenshots of accounts and posts, though it was unclear if the accounts they flagged were US visa holders.
The State Department’s No. 2 then replied to some of those comments, saying he would direct consular officials to monitor the comments on the post, which, as at the afternoon of Sept 11, had over 2,000 replies.
A State Department spokesperson, asked about Mr Landau’s post, said: “This administration does not believe that the United States should grant visas to persons whose presence in our country does not align with US national security interests.”
But the spokesperson did not address questions on whether anybody had been identified to have their visa revoked or how consular officials would evaluate those flagged in response to Mr Landau’s post.
Mr Kirk, a 31-year-old author, podcast host and close ally of US President Donald Trump, helped build the Republican Party’s support among younger voters. He was killed on Sept 10 by a single gunshot as he gave a talk at a university in Utah, in what Mr Trump called a “heinous assassination”.
The Trump administration has pursued a sweeping crackdown on immigration, including increasing social media vetting and revoking thousands of student visas and aiming to tighten the duration of others. REUTERS
