When the United States revokes someone's visa, it is typically confidential, with few exceptions. But with British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan and others, the Trump administration appears to have eased privacy restrictions to make a public point when it deems a case particularly egregious.
The State Department's number two diplomat made headlines when he posted a social media message this week saying visas for the band for an upcoming U.S. tour had been revoked. British police are investigating whether a crime was committed when the duo's frontman led the audience in chants of "Death to the IDF" - the Israel Defense Forces - at a music festival in the U.K.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted that their visas had been revoked "in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants."
The band rejected claims of antisemitism and said in a statement that it was being "targeted for speaking up" about the war in Gaza.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act and certain statutes related to the privacy of government documents, the State Department has for years resisted or refused to discuss specific cases in which visas may have been denied or revoked. Certain exemptions apply, such as when foreign officials and their immediate family members are found to ineligible for entry into the United States for violating anti-corruption or human rights regulations.