Trump’s Authoritarian Gambit to Muzzle the Foreign Press

Credit: Mauricio Morales Source UNESCOOpinion by Alon Ben-Meir (new york)Thursday, July 23, 2026Inter Press Service NEW YORK, July 23 (IPS) - Under a new rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, the duration of “I visas” for foreign media will be slashed from renewable multi year periods—often up to five years—to a maximum of 240 days, and just 90 days for Chinese journalists. Renewals would no longer be a routine administrative step tied to continued employment and compliance with the law, but a discretionary privilege the government can grant or withhold at will. Turning Journalist Visas into a WeaponThe Foreign Press Association and other media organizations have warned that such a regime will make it “impossible” for correspondents to do their jobs: they cannot build sources, understand the country’s complex politics, or maintain anything resembling a family life if their legal status expires every few months and is constantly subject to political whim. The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the United States rightly calls this a “flagrant attack on press freedom” designed to chill coverage by making unfavorable reporting a potential visa liability.An A...