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A man holds a picture of Charlie Kirk during a vigil labeled “In Memory of Charlie Kirk, for Freedom, Patriotism, and Justice” in front of the U.S. Embassy. The vigil follows the death of conservative activist and Trump ally Charlie Kirk, who was shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 11, 2025, in Berlin, Germany — Reuters.
On Thursday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau issued a warning that Washington might take action against foreigners who praise, justify, or trivialize the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He stated he has instructed consular officials to respond appropriately.
“In light of yesterday’s brutal assassination of a prominent political figure, I want to emphasize that foreigners who promote violence and hatred are not welcome in our country,” Landau posted on X. He also expressed his disgust upon seeing some social media users praising or minimizing the incident and said he had directed officials to watch for such posts.
He did not specify what actions might be taken. Some individuals responded with screenshots of accounts and posts, but it’s uncertain if those accounts belong to U.S. visa holders. Landau later responded to some comments, mentioning that consular officials would monitor the social media activity related to his post, which had received over 2,000 responses by Thursday afternoon.
A State Department spokesperson remarked, “This administration does not believe the United States should issue visas to individuals whose presence here does not serve our national security interests.” No further details were provided about potential visa revocations or how officials plan to evaluate flagged social media content.
Charlie Kirk, 31, an author, podcast host, and close supporter of President Trump, played a significant role in fostering Republican support among younger voters. He was killed on Wednesday by a gunshot while speaking at a university in Utah. President Trump called the attack a “heinous assassination.”
The Trump administration has been implementing a broad immigration crackdown, which includes intensified social media screenings, revoking thousands of student visas, and tightening rules on visa durations.