State Department Sued Over Visa Policy Tied to Social Media Work

An academic group is suing the State Department over a policy to revoke and deny visas based on noncitizens’ work involving social media platforms.

The Coalition for Independent Technology Research alleges the policy chills independent research and violates the First Amendment in a complaint filed Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

“The Trump administration is using the threat of detention and deportation to suppress speech it disfavors,” said Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute and counsel for the plaintiffs.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May 2025 announced visa restrictions ...