The US State Department has announced that five prominent European figures will be barred from entering the United States, accusing them of playing key roles in what officials describe as the “global censorship-industrial complex.”
The decision, revealed Tuesday, comes amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and European regulators over online speech, content moderation, and the regulation of American tech companies operating overseas.
US officials say the individuals violated a visa policy introduced in May that restricts entry for foreign nationals who work to censor constitutionally protected speech within the United States, the New York Post writes.
US accuses Europeans of targeting American speech
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, saying European ideologues have spent years pressuring American platforms to suppress viewpoints they oppose.
“For far too long, ideologues in Europe have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose,” Rubio said.
“The Trump Administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.”
Rubio added that the list could grow if others do not “reverse course,” signaling that additional sanctions may follow.
Five figures named by State Department
The five Europeans blocked from entering the US are former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton; Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate; Clare Melford, who leads the Global Disinformation Index; and Josephine Ballon and Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, senior figures at the Germany-based organization HateAid.
The names were confirmed by Sarah Rogers, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, who said the decision was intended to send a clear message.
“If you spend your career fomenting censorship of American speech, you’re unwelcome on American soil,” Rogers wrote on X.
She also alleged that some of the sanctioned individuals collaborated with US officials on what she referred to as “Murthy-style speech suppression.”
Supreme Court case cited in decision
The phrase refers to the 2024 Supreme Court case Murthy v. Missouri, which examined whether government officials had improperly pressured social media companies to suppress certain viewpoints through informal back-channel communications.
While the court’s ruling limited government involvement in such practices, the case has continued to influence debate over free speech and digital regulation.
Rogers singled out Thierry Breton in particular, describing him as a central architect of the EU’s Digital Services Act.
She noted that Breton had previously issued warnings to Elon Musk and announced an investigation into X, formerly Twitter, in late 2023.
EU Digital Services Act sparks transatlantic tensions
The Digital Services Act imposes sweeping obligations on online platforms, including rules governing content moderation, transparency, and the removal of illegal material.
Earlier this month, the European Union fined X €120 million, roughly $141 million, for allegedly failing to comply with transparency requirements under the law.
The penalty triggered backlash from the Trump administration, especially after Musk recently repaired his relationship with Trump following a public feud.
European officials respond to US criticism
Breton and other European voices pushed back strongly against the US response. Breton dismissed the move as politically motivated and defended the DSA’s legitimacy.
“Is McCarthy’s witch hunt back?” he said.
“Ninety percent of the European Parliament and all 27 Member States voted for the DSA. Censorship isn’t where you think it is.”
Despite the announcement, it remains unclear how the ban will be enforced. Many European citizens enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program, which does not require a traditional visa.
US officials have not clarified whether the required entry authorizations under the program will be used to prevent the five individuals from entering American soil, leaving open questions about how the restrictions will be applied in practice.