Last Week in Censorship: June 15-21, 2025
Student visa applicants must face social media surveillance, French lawmaker denied entry and FIFA abandons anti-racism messaging.
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Last week showcased the Trump administration's systematic expansion of ideological vetting and content surveillance across multiple domains. The State Department ordered comprehensive social media monitoring for all foreign student visa applicants, while a French lawmaker was denied entry for organizing against "neo-fascism." An Australian journalist was deported for his reporting on the Columbia University protests, and FIFA dropped its anti-racism messaging during the Club World Cup in the United States. These incidents demonstrate the coordinated effort to police political views, suppress dissent, and impose the administration's cultural agenda.
Crackdown on Academic Freedom & Research
Social media surveillance for all student visas. The State Department restarted foreign student visa interviews but implemented unprecedented social media monitoring requirements. All applicants for F, M, and J visas must now set their social media profiles to "public" and allow comprehensive vetting of their "entire online presence." A cable instructed consular officers to identify applicants who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles" and to look for "any potentially derogatory information." Refusal to make accounts public will be grounds for denial. The new procedures apply to all foreign nationals seeking to study in the United States, affecting over 400,000 annual applicants and placing enormous burdens on consular staff.
Suppressing Press Freedom
Journalist deported for reporting on protests. An Australian writer was detained for 15 hours and then deported from Los Angeles for his writings about pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia University. Alistair Kitchen, an independent journalist who had graduated from a master's program at the Ivy League school, was told by a border agent: "Look, we both know why you're here... It's because of what you wrote online about the protests at Columbia University." Kitchen had written about the student encampments on his Substack page. PEN America called Kitchen's detention and deportation "gravely concerning," saying his account "fits a disturbing pattern in which border agents appear to be screening visitors to the U.S. for their viewpoints."
Retaliation Against Critics
Lawmaker denied entry for opposing Trump's "neo-fascism." French Green Party deputy Pouria Amirshahi was denied a U.S. visa to participate in "La Digue," an initiative to unite progressive lawmakers against the rise of far-right movements globally. The project aimed to counter what organizers called "neo-fascism" represented by figures like Donald Trump. Amirshahi denounced the visa denial as a "political decision" and an "unprecedented hostile act" in 240 years of Franco-American relations. Despite support from the French Foreign Ministry, his visa application was rejected after what was described as an "abnormally long" review process. The refusal came as the Trump administration tightened immigration controls and restrictions for figures associated with progressive movements.
State-Sponsored Intimidation, Propaganda, and Unwinding Civil Rights Protections
FIFA changes messaging. FIFA opted not to display any explicit anti-racism or anti-discrimination messaging at its Club World Cup in the United States, a stark shift from previous tournaments. Multiple sources confirmed that prepared materials for the "No Racism" and "No Discrimination" campaigns—used prominently at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and 2023 Women's World Cup—were shelved. The decision comes as FIFA President Gianni Infantino has developed a close relationship with Trump, attending his pre-inauguration rally, inauguration, and bringing the Club World Cup trophy to the Oval Office. FIFA did not respond when asked if the political climate in the United States influenced their decision, pointing only to statutes stating FIFA will "remain neutral in matters of politics." The move follows a broader pattern of organizations abandoning diversity and inclusion programs under the Trump administration.