US is cancelling visas for people 'celebrating' Charlie Kirk's death, Rubio says

The United States has been revoking and denying visas to people celebrating the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"America will not host foreigners who celebrate the death of our fellow citizens," Rubio said in a post on X on Tuesday.

"Visa revocations are under way. If you are here on a visa and cheering on the public assassination of a political figure, prepare to be deported," he added.

Rubio's post followed a similar warning last week by US Deputy Secretary of State Christoper Landau.

"I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country," Landau wrote on social media.

"I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalising, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action," he added.

It is unclear how many visas have been revoked or denied, or on what grounds the State Department is taking such action. It also remains clear whether any European citizens were affected by Washington's latest policy.

Kirk, 31, was shot dead on 10 September while speaking to students at Utah Valley University. The suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody on Friday after a 33-hour manhunt.

Prosecutors brought a murder charge against Robinson on Tuesday. They allege that he shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on campus.

Following the fatal shooting, US conservatives have criticised people who disparaged Kirk or mocked his death.

Several individuals in sectors such as aviation, education and the media have lost their jobs or been suspended over their social media posts about Kirk, according to reports.

For example, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said over the weekend that American Airlines had grounded pilots who he said were celebrating Kirk's death.

"This behaviour is disgusting and they should be fired," Duffy said in a post on X.

The Trump administration's threats to crack down on what it calls the "radical left" after Kirk's assassination raised fears that the US right is trying to harness anger over the killing to suppress political opposition.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi has blamed "left-wing radicals" for the shooting and said "they will be held accountable".

"There's free speech and then there's hate speech," Bondi said in an interview this week.

"We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."

Her interview quickly drew criticism from commentators on both the left and the right, who highlighted that there is no exception for hate speech under the First Amendment.