Overview
- U.S. District Judge James Boasberg granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, July 15, 2026, stopping the State Department from enforcing a visa-restriction policy while the Coalition for Independent Technology Research's lawsuit moves forward.
- The policy, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May 2025, authorized visa denials, revocations, detention, and deportation for noncitizens the government said were 'responsible for' or 'complicit in' censoring Americans.
- Boasberg wrote that plaintiffs are likely to succeed on First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act claims, finding the policy burdens protected speech and is subject to judicial review.
- The judge found the government had not shown that the five specifically targeted researchers had ties to foreign powers and said the policy had chilled research, advocacy, travel, and public-facing work by independent tech researchers.
- The injunction is temporary and the merits of the case will determine whether the government can use immigration tools to police content-moderation work, a result that could affect international collaboration, platform research, and future enforcement.