Just before Christmas, the Trump administration raised the stakes in its campaign against laws in Europe that require social media platforms to exercise vigilance against illegal content, hate speech, and disinformation. On Dec. 23, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued determinations under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) barring five Europeans closely associated with content moderation activities from entry into the United States and ordering them deported if found in the U.S. Rubio acted under a section of the INA allowing the exclusion of foreign persons on grounds of “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” His announcement provocatively described the five individuals as part of a “global censorship-industrial complex,” leading “organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose.” The announcement further accused the five of “hav[ing] advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states—in each case targeting American speakers and American companies.”. The most prominent name on the list is Thierry Breton, a former vice president of the European Commission and an architect of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), its flagship legislation to regulate online content. During the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, Breton dispatched a letter to Elon Musk regarding his online interview with President Trump, warning that “spillovers” of U.S. speech into the EU could spur the commission to take retaliatory measures against X under the DSA. Breton resigned from the commission soon thereafter, reportedly under pressure from commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
The Trump Administration Targets Europe’s Content Moderation Laws | Lawfare
