The search is part of the Trump Administration’s broader campaign of retribution against anyone perceived to have trivialised, condoned or wrongly cast blame in Kirk’s killing.
Most prominently, Disney temporarily pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show amid conservative criticism of his comments about the shooting.
But the search also represents another striking case in which the Administration appears to be using ideology as a litmus test for which foreigners can visit, work and live in the US.
“This is highly unusual,” said Ricardo Zuniga, a former senior State Department official who served under five presidents, including US President Donald Trump.
“Would the same rules apply to someone who ridiculed attacks on opponents of the Administration?”
US officials typically focus on whether a visa applicant is dangerous, he said, but under Trump, they have also scrutinised what people say online.
In January, Trump barred foreigners who might be hostile towards US “citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles”.
In March, Rubio ordered his staff to inspect some student visa applicants’ online posts for anti-Semitism.
In June, the State Department required many applicants to make their social media content public.
And in July, an official testified that online criticism of the war in the Gaza Strip could weigh against applicants.
“They’re trying to reset the boundaries on what is permissible speech,” Zuniga said.
“It’s part of the message they’re sending: They want people who are ideologically aligned to be the ones traveling to the US.”
Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesperson, in a statement called the policies “common sense” and “an essential component of our national security”.
Do those opposing them “want anti-Semitism in the US?” he added.
“Do they want foreign aliens actively advocating for harm to Americans and the demise of the US in our country?”
A 1952 law barred members of communist parties from immigrating to the United States. But in 2020, the State Department clarified that there were many exceptions and that it did not apply to people just visiting.
The search for foreign critics of Kirk has been led by Christopher Landau, the State Department’s No. 2 official and a former ambassador to Mexico.
The day after Kirk was killed, Landau asked his followers on social platform X to send him examples of people “praising, rationalising, or making light of the event”.
Users have since flooded his account with video clips and screenshots of crude comments about the shooting, attempts to justify it and criticism of Kirk and his hard-right politics.
In more than 50 cases, Landau has responded with images styling himself as a superhero: “El Quitavisas”, or “The Visa Yanker” in Spanish.
One image shows a bat signal with the US government seal. Another shows a cartoon version of Landau melting a visa with lasers from his eyes.
It is not clear how many of the people cited in his posts have had their visas revoked — or even had visas to begin with.
In one clip, Jorge Roberto Aviles, a prominent Mexican commentator known as Callo de Hacha, said Kirk had “the same message as Hitler”.
Landau responded with a “Quitavisas” image, adding, “How disgusting it is to justify the murder of a person who thinks differently simply by calling him Hitler.”
In another case, Redi Tlhabi, a South African journalist, wrote that she had empathy for Kirk’s family but not for Kirk because “he believed gun-related deaths were acceptable and a small price to pay for gun ownerships”. Landau responded with a Quitavisas image.
Tlhabi and Aviles did not respond to requests for comment.
Some targets of Landau’s attention quickly asked for forgiveness.
Salvador Ramirez, an official with Mexico’s dominant political party, said on a panel that Kirk had got “a taste of his own medicine” because of his pro-gun stance.
Landau replied by saying he regretted ever speaking with the news outlet that hosted the panel when he was ambassador to Mexico.
Ramirez quickly posted an apology.
“I also want to mention that I recognise the great work that Christopher Landau did as the former US ambassador,” he added. “I believe he is also doing a good job at the US State Department.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Jack Nicas
Photograph by: Loren Elliott
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
