Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly said Monday that the United States is revoking and denying visas to foreign nationals who openly celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist gunned down last week while hosting a Turning Point USA event in Utah.
Rubio, who has made national security a defining feature of his tenure, framed the decision as a matter of basic standards for entry into the country. “We are not in the business of inviting people to visit our country who are going to be involved in negative and destructive behavior, okay?” Rubio said in a Fox News interview he later posted to X.
“If we invite someone to visit the United States of America as a student, as a tourist, as whatever, then … the standard they should be held to is very high,” he explained. “We should not be giving visas to people who are going to come to the United States and do things like celebrate the murder, the execution, the assassination of a political figure. We should not. And if they’re already here, we should be revoking their visa.”
The State Department has already begun revoking visas under the new directive. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Rubio sharpened his comments. “There’s no shortage of idiots around the world that’ve decided it’s a great idea to murder someone. We don’t want people like that in our country. By the way, it’s bad that we have people that are U.S. citizens that feel that way,” he said. “But you’re a foreigner? Why would we want to allow into the United States someone who’s in favor of murder? We don’t want pro-murder people in America.”
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while hosting one of his signature campus debates at Utah Valley University.
His assassination has shaken conservatives nationwide and deepened concern over what many on the right describe as a climate of escalating hostility toward their movement.
Rubio’s move underscores an aggressive State Department approach that prioritizes barring foreigners engaged in anti-American or violent activity.
The policy has extended to individuals who have expressed support for terrorist organizations or maintained close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. It has also reached foreign officials implicated in the censorship of American voices or companies.
In announcing the new measure, Rubio emphasized that the United States cannot be a haven for those who glorify violence.
His stance drew a clear line: welcoming students, tourists, and workers requires more than a visa application—it demands respect for the principles of civil society and human life.
The assassination of Kirk, a rising star in conservative politics who built Turning Point USA into a national presence on college campuses, has galvanized calls from Republicans for stronger protections against political violence.
Rubio’s response suggests the administration sees a direct link between foreign influence, ideological extremism, and the safety of Americans at home.
“We don’t want pro-murder people in America,” Rubio said flatly. For him, the principle is simple: access to the United States is a privilege, not a right—and those who cheer assassinations forfeit it.
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