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September 03, 2025 – USA –
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security unveiled a proposal to drastically shorten the duration of journalist visas. Under the proposal, foreign correspondents would face fixed-term limits—just 240 days, and even 90 days for Chinese nationals—significantly reducing the previously more flexible, potentially indefinite validity of I-visas and J-visas for foreign media workers.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly opposes this move, arguing it would erect unnecessary barriers to journalism and create a chilling environment for press freedom in the United States. RSF warns that it would force foreign journalists to constantly navigate bureaucratic renewal processes and live under the persistent threat of visa revocation. They caution that this uncertainty could suppress critical reporting and invite politically motivated expulsions.
A particularly alarming concern is the potential for arbitrary enforcement. RSF highlights that journalists might be penalized or deported if their reporting displeases public officials. They cite the case of Turkish-born academic Rümeysa Öztürk, targeted by DHS for writing critically about Israel’s war in Gaza, as an example of potential retaliatory action.
The organization underscores the broader implications: hundreds of journalists could be driven out of the country, depriving both American and international audiences of essential reporting from the U.S. RSF warns that such limitations echo the kinds of censorship tactics seen in authoritarian regimes, rather than those expected in a nation anchored by the First Amendment.
The public has until September 29, 2025, to submit comments on the proposal before DHS deliberates on implementation.
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