The U.S. State Department has revoked the visas of six foreign nationals in response to social media comments they made about the killing of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk.
“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the department wrote on X on Tuesday afternoon.
“The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” it added, before listing examples of “aliens” who are not welcome in the country as a result of their anti-Kirk sentiment.
Kirk, 31, died after being shot in the neck at a Turning Point USA rally at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
FILE – Charlie Kirk speaks during a town hall meeting on March 17, 2025, in Oconomowoc, Wis.
(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)
The X thread posted by the state department included screenshots of posts made by individuals the U.S. government deemed ineligible to remain in the country.
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“An Argentine national said that Kirk ‘devoted his entire life spreading racist, xenophobic, misogynistic rhetoric’ and deserves to burn in hell. Visa revoked,” it wrote alongside a screenshot of the comment it alleges the person made, with their name and expletives redacted.
The State Department also shared screenshots of a post made by a person it says is from South Africa, accused of poking fun at Americans who were grieving Kirk.
“They’re hurt that the racist rally ended in attempted martyrdom? Charlie Kirk won’t be remembered as a hero. He was used to astroturf a movement of white nationalist trailer trash,” the person wrote, according to the government’s screenshots.
Foreign nationals the department identified as being from Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Paraguay were also mentioned in the thread. Each post in the thread outlining one of the foreign nationals ends with “Visa revoked.”
It revoked the German person’s visa over a comment that reads in English, “when fascists die, democrats don’t complain.”
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump posthumously awarded America’s highest civilian honour to Kirk. His widow, Erika Kirk, accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of her late husband.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for honouring my husband in such a profound and meaningful way. And thank you for making this event a priority,” she said. “Your support of our family and the work that Charlie devoted his life to will be something I cherish forever.”
The thread concluded with a message promising that Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would defend the country’s borders, culture and citizens by enforcing immigration laws.
“Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed,” it said.
The revocation of foreign nationals’ visas comes amid a Trump-ordered clampdown on immigration, and the deployment of National Guard troops to cities with large immigrant populations — often Democratic strongholds — such as Chicago and Portland.
Democrats have repeatedly criticized Trump’s efforts to deploy the armed forces, labelling it an overreach of power and an “invasion” waged against everyday Americans. Last week, state leaders in Illinois, Oregon and California sued the Trump administration to block the deployment of troops. Still, the administration argues that negligent Democratic leaders have left the president with no choice but to crack down on crime and illegal immigration with military might.
Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents stationed throughout the U.S., including in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles, to detain people it says are in the country illegally, have been facing organized pushback from local communities.
Schools in Chicago with large immigrant student populations have begun distributing leaflets to inform students and their families of their rights.
The leaflets advise students that they have the right to remain silent and to ask for a lawyer, as well as deny officers and agents access to their home without a warrant.
While ICE agents cannot enter schools in Illinois without a warrant, the protection does not apply on the way to school, leaving immigrants vulnerable to ICE arrests, advocates say.
On Oct. 3, ICE agents lobbed tear gas at protesters near a Chicago elementary school, fuelling tensions between federal agents and residents, and anxiety among schoolchildren.
The White House earlier this month said that the presence of the National Guard is necessary to prevent attacks on ICE agents and other law enforcement.
— With a file from The Associated Press
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