Overview

• The draft rule would cap most foreign journalists at 240 days per admission and mainland Chinese reporters at 90 days, with the possibility of extensions.
• DHS has opened a public comment period through September 29 before deciding whether to finalize the proposal.
• The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the administration to withdraw the changes, warning the shorter renewal cycle could enable editorial pressure.
• Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu called the differential cap discriminatory and cautioned against a new round of “media warfare.”
• The journalist provisions sit within a broader move to end “duration of status” for several visa categories, including student and exchange programs, which U.S. officials defend partly on reciprocity grounds.