State Department to ban disinformation workers from entering U.S.

The current U.S. administration is moving to prevent individuals involved in combating online disinformation and hate speech from obtaining work visas to enter the country. Over recent years, researchers and specialists addressing the spread of harmful online content have faced increasing scrutiny from conservative political figures, who often leverage such propaganda to rally supporters.

A recent memo from the State Department, as reported by Reuters, appears to intensify this effort, making it more difficult for professionals focused on reducing harmful content online to gain entry into the United States.

According to Reuters, the memorandum sent to U.S. diplomatic missions on December 2 instructs consular officers to carefully review the resumes and professional profiles of H-1B visa applicants and their accompanying family members. Officers are asked to identify if applicants have worked in areas such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance, or online safety.

The cable states that if an applicant is found to have been involved in what the administration describes as censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States, consular officers should consider the individual ineligible for a visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that while the department does not comment on leaked documents, it opposes allowing foreign nationals to act as censors in the United States. The spokesperson cited former President Trumps removal from certain social media platforms after the January 6 events, saying the administration aims to prevent similar situations for other Americans.

Critics note the irony, given the administrations own efforts to limit press freedom and target speech it disagrees with. They argue that content moderation on private social media platforms is a legitimate practice to curb hate speech and misinformation, comparable to enforcing rules in public or private spaces to maintain civility.

Despite claims of political censorship supported by debunked theories like the Twitter Files, evidence suggests that platforms were engaging in policy discussions rather than silencing users for political reasons. The memo appears to use these claims as justification to hinder efforts against online disinformation while simultaneously reinforcing restrictive immigration policies.

Author: Jackson Miller