The Committee to Protect Journalists and partner organizations issued a joint letter on Wednesday urging members of the United States Congress to act on new visa restrictions for international correspondents.
Under a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final rule that will take effect on September 15, I visas for foreign media representatives will be limited to up to 240 days, or 90 days for Chinese nationals. This replaces the open-ended “duration of status” framework that has governed the I visa since 1985. CPJ previously condemned the adoption of the rule.
The letter outlines how the rule will reduce the quality and quantity of global coverage on the United States. In order to secure extensions every 240 days, journalists and their families will face financial and bureaucratic challenges. The rule also creates opportunities for government censorship by denying or delaying applications and extensions on the basis of a journalist’s coverage. Congress can block or limit the rule through reviews, oversight, and appropriations. The letter also calls on DHS to publish plain-language guidance for applicants, and for the government to insulate visa issuance decisions from politics and from delay.
The letter was signed by 31 organizations, led by CPJ, Society of Professional Journalists, The Foreign Press Association, and the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association.
Read the full letter here.