In a decisive move to defend Americans’ First Amendment rights, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that the U.S. will now ban entry to foreign officials who target U.S. citizens for their online speech. This comes as part of a sweeping effort to restore free expression after years of silence and suppression—both foreign and domestic.

“Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio said. His message was blunt: if you attack free speech from abroad, you’re not welcome here.

This new policy zeroes in on foreign officials who pressure American tech companies to suppress content or go as far as issuing threats or warrants against U.S. citizens for speech made online—while those citizens are physically on American soil. It’s a hard line that the Trump-Rubio administration is determined to draw in the sand.

“For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights,” Rubio posted on X. “Free speech is essential to the American way of life — a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority.”

Rubio’s aggressive action is part of a broader pattern of unapologetic foreign policy coming from Trump’s second term. Just weeks earlier, Vice President JD Vance lit up the Munich Security Conference with a blistering takedown of European hypocrisy. Vance blasted the UK for convicting a man who silently prayed outside an abortion clinic—an act of peaceful protest that would be protected in the U.S. but was criminalized in Europe.

“In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town,” Vance told the stunned European audience. “Under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square.”

Rubio echoed that sentiment Wednesday: “Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over.”

The shift in tone is striking. During the Biden years, international bureaucrats and foreign governments faced little resistance as they targeted American dissidents or demanded global content rules that clashed with U.S. values. But the new administration is making it clear: American citizens don’t answer to foreign speech codes.

Rubio’s plan isn’t just symbolic. The visa bans could have real diplomatic weight. They send a message to global elites and bureaucrats—especially in Europe’s censorship-happy regimes—that targeting American voices comes with consequences.

It’s part of a larger campaign to restore America’s role as a beacon of liberty. While the Biden administration bent the knee to global NGOs and foreign pressures, the Trump team is standing tall for American rights.

Rubio’s crackdown reinforces a growing theme: America First isn’t just about trade or borders—it’s also about protecting the freedoms that define us. And if foreign officials don’t like it, they can stay out.