US court says Trump's 'censorship' visa policy likely violates free speech
A US district court has temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that allowed visa restrictions against foreign researchers and safety workers accused of censoring Americans. The judge ruled that the policy likely violates the First Amendment by burdening protected speech.
Why it matters
The ruling is a significant check on executive power regarding immigration and its intersection with digital free speech and content moderation.
A district court judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing an immigration policy targeting foreign researchers, fact-checkers, and trust and safety workers working on misinformation, fact-checking and online safety.The policy, announced by Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, in May 2025, authorised visa restrictions (such as visa denials, revocations, detention, and deportation) against foreign nationals deemed ‘responsible for’ or ‘complicit in’ censoring Americans. The judge said the plaintiffs had shown they were likely to succeed on their claim that the policy violated the First Amendment.The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and Protect Democracy filed the lawsuit earlier this year on behalf of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research (CITR).US District Judge James E.
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