IRRT (International Relations Round Table)

Below is a letter I sent to my congressional delegation today, both Senators and the Representative.  

You're more than welcome to edit and use and share this template.

Source material:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-orders-enhanced-vetting-applicants-h-1b-visa-2025-12-04/

Bill Middleton
Portland, Maine

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My name is [Your Name].  I'm a registered [Your State] voter and a professional librarian.

I'm writing to ask you to seek the removal of instructions to U.S. consular sections overseas to deny visas to applicants who have worked as fact-checkers.

On December 3, the Administration announced in an internal State Department memo that there would be increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas, saying that anyone involved in "censorship" of free speech would be considered for rejection.

The cable, sent to all U.S. missions, ordered U.S. consular officers to review resumes or LinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants and family members who would be traveling with them to see if they had worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others.

The cable said all visa applicants were subject to this policy, but sought a heightened review for the H-1B applicants given they frequently worked in the technology sector.

I'm a librarian.  I've been a librarian for over [Number] years.  Fact checking and the identification of misinformation and disinformation is what librarians do.  That's the job.  Verifying whether or not something is true is not a check on free speech; suggesting that it is is a check on free speech.

Some things are true, and some things are false, and knowing the difference between them is a genuine and increasingly valuable skill.

Let me make this more concrete.

   Climate change is caused by humans.
   Vaccines save lives.
   Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential election.

These are facts.  Saying that these are facts is not censorship.  Denying that these are facts is censorship.  As is refusing to allow into the country anyone who knows the difference. 

A librarian knows the difference.  

Stop embarrassing this country.  Rescind these instructions on the vetting of visa applicants.

[Your Name]
[Your Full Address]