Washington, Dec. 24. — The Donald Trump administration has banned five European citizens from entering the United States, accusing them of 'coercing' social media networks to censor American voices. This was announced on Tuesday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Among those sanctioned is former European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton (2019-2024), who promoted regulations to limit disinformation on platforms like X, Meta, and TikTok, a senior State Department official informed the press. Also sanctioned was British activist Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), an organization dedicated to combating hate and disinformation on the internet. The identities of the other three sanctioned individuals have not been disclosed at this time. Rubio stated in a statement that these individuals 'have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms into censoring, demonetizing, and suppressing American opinions with which they disagree.' Therefore, the head of American diplomacy determined that 'their entry, presence, or activities in the United States have potentially adverse consequences.' The Secretary of State specified that visa restrictions have been imposed on them, prohibiting them from entering the country, and deportation proceedings will be initiated if they are found on U.S. territory. The State Department's announcement comes weeks after the European Commission imposed a 130 million euro fine on X, owned by Elon Musk, for failing to comply with its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Rubio then called the sanction an 'attack on the American people by foreign governments.' The Trump administration, which has expressed its intention to combat diversity and inclusion policies, considers the regulation of social media to limit disinformation and hate speech to be a form of censorship.
