European officials pushed back sharply on Wednesday after Washington moved to deny U.S. visas to five people, among them a former European Union commissioner over allegations of censorship.
The Trump administration announced visa restrictions against Thierry Breton, who as an EU commissioner played a central role in shaping the bloc’s Digital Services Act, along with four figures linked to anti-disinformation initiatives. U.S. officials said the action was taken in response to what they described as efforts to suppress free speech on American social media platforms, a claim European leaders rejected as unfounded and politically motivated.
“The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose,” as Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in a statement.
The Digital Services Act, meanwhile, requires major technology companies such as Google and Meta to step up their monitoring and removal of illegal content, with the threat of steep financial penalties if they fail to comply.
Rubio further stated, “these radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states—in each case targeting American speakers and American companies.”
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U.S. officials argue that allowing such figures to travel to America could carry “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” he said.
“Based on these determinations, the Department has taken steps to impose visa restrictions on agents of the global censorship-industrial complex who, as a result, will be generally barred from entering the United States.”
Breton, who served as an EU commissioner from 2019 to 2024, pushed back publicly on X, asking: “Is McCarthy’s witch hunt back?”
He also underscored the political backing for the law in Europe, writing: “As a reminder: 90% of the European Parliament — our democratically elected body — and all 27 Member States unanimously voted the DSA.” “To our American friends: “Censorship isn’t where you think it is.””
The European Commission reacted swiftly, saying on Wednesday that it “strongly condemned” the U.S. decision.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world,” it said in a statement, further adding that “the EU is an open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments.”
“Our digital rules ensure a safe, fair, and level playing field for all companies, applied fairly and without discrimination.”
The Commission said it has sought clarifications from U.S. authorities on the decision. France also weighed in, with President Emmanuel Macron condemning the visa restrictions.
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“These measures amount to intimidation and coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty,” Macron said in a statement on X.
He emphasized that “the European Union’s digital regulations were adopted following a democratic and sovereign process by the European Parliament and the Council,” pushing back against suggestions of political targeting.
Macron added that the DSA is not aimed at any particular third country but is meant “to ensure that what is illegal offline is also illegal online.”
The move comes as President Donald Trump continues to tighten travel rules for foreign visitors while stepping up his criticism of Europe.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not name the individuals targeted by the State Department, but Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers later identified them in a post on X.
Among those sanctioned were Josephine Ballon, co-leader of HateAid and a member of Germany’s Advisory Council on the Digital Services Act, who has been involved in anti-disinformation efforts. Her fellow co-leader, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, was also included. Rogers said the visa bans reflect Washington’s effort to enforce what she described as a U.S. “red line” against the “extraterritorial censorship of Americans.”