The Trump administration has taken a tough stance by instructing US consular officers to deny visas to fact-checkers and content moderators who censor free speech in the United States. A leaked State Department memo directs overseas missions to refuse visas to anyone "responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the US," according to NPR and Reuters. A State Department spokesperson told NPR, "The Administration has made clear that it defends Americans' freedom of expression against foreigners who wish to censor them. We do not support aliens coming to the United States to work as censors muzzling Americans." The spokesperson highlighted former President Donald Trump's own experience, saying, "In the past, the President himself was the victim of this kind of abuse when social media companies locked his accounts. He does not want other Americans to suffer this way. Allowing foreigners to lead this type of censorship would both insult and injure the American people." This action comes after Trump's Twitter and Facebook accounts were banned following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. The memo demands stricter vetting of visa applicants who have worked in fields like misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance, and online safety. Consular officials must check work histories, LinkedIn profiles, and social media accounts for any signs of these activities. If there is evidence that the applicant engaged in censorship, the officer "should pursue a finding that the applicant is ineligible (for a visa)," the memo states. This move signals a stringent approach to immigration for individuals involved in monitoring or controlling online speech linked to the US.