FEATURED
A group of UC Berkeley students who celebrated the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death have caught the attention of U.S. State Department officials.
Spokesman Tommy Pigott told The College Fix in a statement via email that “people in the United States on visas are guests in this country, and we will not tolerate people here on visas who break our laws, support terrorism, or unlawfully incite violence, which ultimately led to the horrific assassination of an American.”
“That is not only common sense, it’s an essential component of our national security. If that wasn’t the policy under the previous administration, it should’ve been, and it is now under the Trump administration,” Pigott said.
At issue is a Sept. 10 event on the one year-anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death. Initially, members of Turning Point USA, the conservative campus group founded by Kirk, gathered to solemnly mark his death.
They had a large portrait of Kirk along with posters about “freedom and American patriotism,” according to the Daily Californian student newspaper.
At the event, John Paul Leon, president of TPUSA at UC Berkeley, reportedly said: “You don’t have to agree with everything he said, but when you support the literal political violence and action against this man, that is an act of moral depravity.”
“A few hours later, at 6 p.m., a bustling crowd of students gathered” to celebrate the death of Kirk, the Californian reported; the “Kirkversary … brought students together to sing, cheer and boo at Kirk’s memory.”
Students “came dressed in Kirk-related costumes” and chanted slogans like “jerk for Kirk.”
Following the event, Kirkversary attendees posted photos on social media, which is what led to the federal scrutiny.
A popular account on X called “Department of Deportations” found a photo of some of the students that attended the event along with their social media handles. Five of the six students in the photo appeared to be students of color.
The post stated: “And for our last trick of the day, we’re going to get a couple of people deported.”
“Meet this group of Berkeley students who are here on student visas and will soon be heading back!” the post reads. “The guy in the center is Nicholas Vail. The rest can be found easily.”
Screenshots posted by the “Department of Deportations” account included social media profile screenshots, including of Vail, who has an Italian flag as part of his bio, and another student who had foreign flags as part of her bio.
The New York Times reported that it “is unclear if any of the people who participated in the event, including those who opposed Mr. Kirk’s politics, were foreign students on visas.”
The College Fix reached out to four of them, but the Vail account had already been removed. The Fix received no other response, besides being blocked by one account.
In response to the post, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau replied with “Thanks. On it!”
The Trump administration has used the visa process as a way to crack down on foreign students in the country who engage in anti-American protests, revoking visas or threatening deportation under Immigration and Nationality Act provisions.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said “a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”
Under his direction, the State Department reviews visas when officials deem there are indications of potential ineligibility or potential threats to public safety, among other situations.
The College Fix reached out to the UC Berkeley News and Media Relations team to ask if they were aware the “Kirkversary” event was happening, if it caused any disruptions to other students, how the school’s free speech policy applied to this event, and if any students are facing disciplinary action. A spokesperson said the university declined to comment.
