U.S. State Department threatens action against foreigners "making light of" Charlie Kirk's death

Action will be taken to punish any non-American in the United States found to be "praising, rationalizing, or making light of" Charlie Kirk's death, a top U.S. official said.

Kirk, an American conservative influencer and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was speaking to a crowd during an event at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed. This afternoon, the suspect was identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson who is now in custody.

Politicians and public figures from across the political spectrum condemned the attack and all acts of political violence. Albeit, some social media users posted jokes about the event, with some calling the shooting "ironic" given Kirk's pro-gun stance.

In a post on X yesterday, U.S. deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau threatened that any foreigners considered to be "praising, rationalizing, or making light of" Kirk’s death will face consequences from the state department.

"Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," said Landau, adding that he has "directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action" over social media posts about Kirk's death.

He called on social media users to report "such comments by foreigners" to the U.S. State Department. Of the over 8,000 comments on the post, many included screenshots of posts as well as news headlines and even private messages.

In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country. I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light…

— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) September 11, 2025

Similarly, a state department spokesperson told press, "This administration does not believe that the United States should grant visas to persons whose presence in our country does not align with US national security interests."

Under new Trump administration policies, investigations are being launched into anyone wanting to live in the U.S., searching social media and other records for any views perceived to be "anti-American".

These policies include new social media vetting protocols for international students applying to study in the U.S. on a study or exchange visa, including the J1 visa.

The J1 visa is written about in the latest Hot Press Student Special issue, available in shops or online at www.shop.hotpress.com.

These protocols involve requiring individuals to make all their social media profiles public and even to provide their account passwords to U.S. immigration officials for review before receiving visas.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin denounced these requirements as "excessive" in June.

"I don’t approve of them, I don’t agree with them," Martin said.

"There is an issue around freedom of speech, but it’s more the atmosphere that’s created by these measures, the fear and the anxiety that young people will now experience travelling."

Expanding vetting to include commentary on a news event like Kirk's shooting is a significant step in the Trump administration's efforts to quell dissent, especially from "foreigners".