Could free speech…cost us? 

In the latest effort to curtail any speech or actions perceived as anti-American, there’s a new bill on the block, and if it’s passed, your passport and ability to leave the country could be in jeopardy.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., would give Secretary of State Marco Rubio the power to revoke the passports of American Citizens, according to The Intercept. The hearing for the bill is set for this Wednesday and has already drawn criticism for “thought policing” due to its vague language.

Under the new bill, the Secretary of State could deny or revoke passports for those “determined” to have aided or abetted a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization, with no requirement for a criminal conviction or judicial process. Those accused have 60 days to request a hearing. 

While this may sound simple on the surface, critics are calling out the lack of specificity in the bill and how that ambiguity could be used against activists or critics of U.S. foreign policy.

Earlier this year, Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish fifth-year doctoral student at Tufts University, had her visa revoked after writing a critical opinion story for the student newspaper; the decision was later found to lack any connection to terrorism. 

“America is the greatest democracy in the world,” Öztürk said, adding, “I have faith in the American system of justice.”

 Conversations around Öztürk’s arrest and release have resurfaced as more immigrants and U.S. Citizens question the fragility of the First Amendment.