US Department of State has revoked the visas of six foreigners over social media comments made about the assassination of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk.
The conservative political activist was shot dead at a rally in September. President Donald Trump elevated him to the status of a “martyr for truth” during a memorial service.
The department said in a post on X that the United States “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.” The State Department added that it continues to identify visa holders “who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
The post was followed by a list of screenshots and critical remarks from six social media accounts, which the State Department said belonged to individuals from South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay and Mexico.
The State Department tweeted along with a screenshot that had the username blacked out, “An Argentine national said that Kirk ‘devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric’ and deserves to burn in hell. Visa revoked.”
The thread ended with a statement from the State Department that Trump and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, “will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws.”
“Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.”
US State Department
Kirk, who was 31 at the time of his death, was a cofounder of the conservative Turning Point student organisation. He was credited with driving young voters to vote for Trump during last year’s US presidential election.
His death led to a wave of social media commentary on the US left and right about his politics.
According to a New York Times investigation, more than 145 people were fired, suspended, or resigned over social media posts or comments about Charlie Kirk.
Rubio previously said that the Trump administration could revoke the visas of foreign nationals over comments on Kirk, while Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau urged internet users to report social media comments of people applying for US visas.
Charlie Kirk Posthumously Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom
The news from the State Department came as Charlie Kirk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.
The ceremony for Kirk was held on what would have been his 32nd birthday. Kirk’s widow, Erika, accepted the award on her late husband’s behalf.
Trump said from the Rose Garden, where the ceremony was held, “So one month after Charlie’s death, we still feel the terrible shock and the pain of his loss like just about nobody I can think of.” Hello added that Charlie Kirk was “one of a kind, and he was unstoppable.”
In emotional remarks, Erika Kirk praised her late husband’s deep faith, saying, “Now he wears the crown of a righteous martyr.”
She also suggested that he might have run for President one day had he not been killed just weeks before his 32nd birthday.
“If the moment had come, he probably would have run for President, but not out of ambition. He would only have done it if that was something that he believed that his country needed.”
Erika Kirk
In recognition of Kirk’s close ties to Trump’s orbit, guests included JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while Trump’s Chief of staff Susie Wiles sat in one of the front rows.
Also in attendance were some of Kirk’s closest political associates, including lobbyists Arthur Schwartz and Jeff Miller, former Trump Deputy Chief of staff Taylor Budowich, Trump Strategist Alex Bruesewitz, Turning Point Adviser Andrew Kolvet and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
READ ALSO: Ghana Must Recover What Was Lost – Kay Codjoe Demands Decisive Action in NSS Ghost Scandal
