Foreign Journalists in U.S.-Backed Media Face Deportation Risks Amid Funding Cuts
After President Trump’s executive order drastically cut USAGM funding, foreign journalists at U.S.-backed media outlets like RFA and VOA now face deportation and potential persecution, prompting legal challenges to halt layoffs.
Published on April 6, 2025
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump in early 2025 sharply cut funding to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), putting foreign journalists at outlets like Radio Free Asia and Voice of America in jeopardy. These reporters, many of whom fled authoritarian regimes on work visas, now face potential deportation and severe persecution if forced to return to their home countries. At least 84 journalists currently in the United States are at risk, with some facing arrest or imprisonment upon their deportation.
In response to the sweeping funding cuts, several media organizations and staff members have filed lawsuits, prompting courts to temporarily suspend layoffs and other drastic measures. Legal battles have been unfolding since late March 2025, with multiple rulings in favor of protecting voice and press freedom, as noted in reports from the Associated Press and Axios. Human rights groups and media advocates continue to call on the U.S. Congress to reaffirm America’s commitment to democracy and a free press by safeguarding both the journalists and the institutions that support them.