AMEJA Welcomes Court Decision Blocking New I-Visa Restrictions on Foreign Journalists

The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) welcomes this week’s decision from US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor to block the Trump administration’s new rule limiting foreign journalists to eight month stints in the US.

The decision was made just seven hours before the September 15 deadline for the new policy to take effect. It would have subjected foreign journalists, all of whom work at foreign news organizations, to undue hardship given the renewal process would mean hundreds of dollars in processing fees, and a fear that the administration would screen extension applications by honing in on reporting that is critical of the United States and Israel.

AMEJA has maintained that the government’s move was intended to create a chilling effect on journalists and the kind of stories they pursue.

The administration is expected to appeal the decision, so the work does not end here.

AMEJA and its partners at the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Foreign Press Association of the United States have urged members of Congress to demand that the Department of Homeland Security explain its intended vetting process, and also called on lawmakers themselves to introduce joint resolutions of disapproval.

We urge all our members to contact their representatives on this vital First Amendment issue.

DHS figures show that some 37,000 members of the foreign press were admitted into the US in 2024. They bring with them partners and children who enroll in schools. Eight months would not only have been unreasonable and disruptive, but it would also send the signal that journalists are unwelcome in the country that sets the bar for press freedom.