Katelyn Wilburn, Campus Carrier opinions editor

Freedom of speech has been on everyone’s mind recently, and the issue has become particularly controversial in recent weeks with the murder of Charlie Kirk. Jimmy Kimmel’s show was suspended due to his recent remarks on Kirk. Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, put immense pressure on ABC to act against Kimmel over his comments, using his political power to threaten the loss of their broadcasting license. Our words are now becoming a test of loyalty rather than a means of expression. This form of censorship and cancel culture is acting against the values of our Constitution: the protection of our speech from government interference.

Kimmel’s situation isn’t the only one like this, as countless people have been fired for expressing their political perspective, and the Trump Administration has made threats to revoke foreigners’ visas if they don’t censor their opposing arguments regarding Kirk’s murder. This is an outrageous excuse for the current administration to take away power from people who oppose their political standpoint. It is already difficult for people to get their visa to stay in America properly, and taking their opportunity to live here is immoral. Deporting someone for holding a different opinion is merely scapegoating, placing blame on a minority that has the right to express their views just as much as the next. Furthermore, it is a poor justification for increasing deportation numbers.

Posting controversial views on social media can make you lose followers, but who knew you could lose your job along with it? Even though companies hold the right to release employees who aren’t aligned with the business mission, there should be a separation between work and personal life. Professional punishment due to political views is a jarring wake-up call to our current world: diverse debates are no longer welcome, and policing speech is becoming a sad reality. This violates our First Amendment rights and allows the government to hold more power over our everyday lives.

If it wasn’t clear that opinions against Kirk are unwelcome in the work environment before, it’s obvious they aren’t welcome now. Vice President JD Vance has urged citizens to report people who speak out on Kirk’s murder, whether it’s on a private or public social account. The reality of these terminations is that most individuals losing their livelihoods align with the left side of politics. This insinuates that our freedom of speech is contingent on who approves, which goes against the entire point of the concept.

Freedom of speech has never been convenient for the government to uphold. It will never be easy, but it will always be essential. The government should always protect this right, but never police it. Even Charlie Kirk himself frowned upon censorship and cancel culture, as his entire mission centered around debating others with opposing opinions. These firings are possible violations our First Amendment rights, contradicting the ideals conservatives claim they want to protect. People should not lose their ability to put food on the table merely because they posted their views online.