Reporters Committee statement on DHS changes to foreign journalist visas

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a new rule limiting the duration of visas for foreign journalists working in the United States.

While visas currently allow foreign journalists to stay in the country effectively for the length of their assignment, the new rule caps their term at 240 days. Foreign journalists who wish to remain in the United States beyond that term must now apply for a visa renewal and undergo a vetting process for national security risks. 

The new rule will go into effect in 60 days and provides for a transition period from the current “duration of stay” term of the visa to the fixed period, which starts in September 2026.

Gabe Rottman, the Reporters Committee’s vice president of policy, made the following statement:

“Changing the terms of foreign journalists’ visas might appear subtle, but it can have profound implications for press freedom. This new rule risks providing the government with an avenue to not renew a journalist’s visa in retaliation for coverage it perceives as critical, and to step into the untenable role of deciding who is and isn’t a journalist.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s new rule looks very similar to the proposed policy it announced last summer. At the time, the Reporters Committee, joined by a coalition of 26 media organizations, raised concerns about the proposal, arguing in a letter to the department that the changes could chill newsgathering and reporting.