US revokes visas of foreigners who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination

The US State Department says it has revoked visas of foreignnationals who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, was an influentialconservative activist and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a youth-focusedadvocacy group he co-founded in 2012. He was shot dead last month during a speaking engagement atUtah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah. The bullet pierced his neck as he responded to a student’squestion on mass shootings in America. The incident sent shockwaves across the United States,prompting widespread condemnation of political violence. Kirk’s death also stirred a wave of mixed reactions acrossthe world. In an X post late Tuesday, the US State Department said ithas “no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans”. “The State Department continues to identify visa holders whocelebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the statement reads. The post was followed by a list of screenshots and criticalremarks from six social media accounts, which the State Department saidbelonged to individuals from South Africa, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, andParaguay. The South African national said Americans were “hurt thatthe racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom”, alleging Kirk was “used toastroturf a movement of white nationalist trailer trash”. All visas were declared revoked. The development came as Trump posthumously awarded Kirk thepresidential medal of freedom on Tuesday. The move also comes as the US tightens its visa requirementsfor foreigners. In August, the US mission in Nigeria announced a policymandating all non-immigrant visa applicants to provide details of their socialmedia accounts from the past five years. The policy requires the disclosure of usernames or handlesacross all platforms used within the period.

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