AFPC-USA Responds After Judge Blocks Trump Administration's I-Visa Limits

The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States (AFPC-USA) responded after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from implementing a rule that would have severely restricted the ability of the foreign press to do their work in the United States.

The Trump administration previously unveiled a policy that would significantly reduce how long foreign journalists can remain in the United States. Under the proposal, most foreign correspondents would be limited to stays of 240 days instead of the current five-year period, while journalists from China would face an even stricter 90-day limit.

The Department of Homeland Security planned to eliminate the longstanding "duration of status" framework, which currently allows accredited foreign reporters to remain in the country for as long as they continue to satisfy visa requirements. Had the new regulations taken effect—60 days after publication in the Federal Register—journalists would instead be subject to fixed expiration dates, with Chinese media personnel facing the most restrictive rules.

A similar proposal introduced during Trump's first term in 2020 would have capped journalist visas at 90 days, but it was later abandoned by the Biden administration.

Reuters reported yesterday that U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston said DHS ​adopted the policy based on "exceptionally weak" rationales. Saylor also rejected DHS’ argument restrictions are necessary in the interest of national security and the need to prevent fraud ​in the visa program. He also found DHS had not honored its legal obligations ⁠to engage with concerns about a policy change or consider other alternatives.

In a statement, AFPC-USA said it welcomes Saylor’s ruling blocking the Trump administration’s “egregious and unnecessary attempt” to limit press freedoms, stressing the vital importance of journalists’ “being able to report without arbitrary barriers” and other threats.

The complete statement is below.

The AFPC-USA welcomes the ruling by the federal judge who has blocked the Trump administration’s egregious and unnecessary attempt to stifle press freedoms in the US. 

The Department of Homeland Security sought to limit the duration of foreign correspondents’ visas to only 240 days, with any extension beyond that granted only on a case-by-case basis. The new restrictions, which also targeted foreign students, would have created a real risk that journalists could face retaliation for coverage an administration finds unfavorable, and the cost of repeatedly relocating foreign correspondents for such short assignments would have been prohibitive for many news organizations.

On Monday, US District Judge Dennis Saylor in Boston said the government had made “no real effort” to defend the new rule on its merits, nor did it offer any national security or “any reasoned explanation” as to why it was trying to implement new restrictions on journalists.

A free and independent press depends on journalists being able to report without arbitrary barriers or the threat of having their ability to remain in the country repeatedly placed in doubt. 

AFPC-USA is grateful for the work of the unions and other advocacy groups that successfully challenged the Department of Homeland Security.