New regulation puts foreign journalists and a free press at risk

On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security issued a new regulation that dramatically restricts foreign reporters’ ability to work independently in the U.S. The new rule, which takes effect in 60 days, would enable the U.S. government to reward favored journalists and punish perceived opponents; invite other countries to retaliate against American reporters abroad; and signal broad distrust of the press at a time when journalists already face deadly targeting. Amid the Trump administration’s broader effort to restrict press freedoms here at home, Congress must step in to limit the damage.

The regulation cuts the length of journalist visas — known as I-visas (for the section of the law that authorizes them) — down to eight months. The previous unlimited time frame offered stability and predictability. Under the new rule, journalists are required to re-apply every eight months, though the rule doesn’t offer clear standards for review. This puts journalists in a fragile situation.

This latest move is one in a series of limitations on the press, including lawsuits against media outlets for unfavorable coverage, limiting press access at the Pentagon, and most recently subpoenas served on New York Times reporters for publishing information about security features of the new Air Force One gifted by Qatar.

The rule proposed last fall seemed to include journalist visas as an afterthought (for a review of the main parts of the regulation on student and exchange visas see this analysis by the Brookings Institution). And the administration cherry-picked data to argue that the number of I-visas granted each year has significantly increased since 1985 when the........

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