Employees who may have to return home risk death or imprisonment at hands of authoritarian governmentsForeign workers at US government-backed media outlets being cut by the Trump administration say they face deportation to their home countries, where some risk imprisonment or death at the hands of authoritarian governments.Earlier this month the Trump administration moved to defund the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent federal agency that oversees the Voice of America (VoA), the US’s largest and oldest international broadcaster, and provides grants to Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other news agencies. Staff have been placed on administrative leave and contractors have been fired. The agency had around 3,500 employees with an annual budget of $886m in 2024. Continue reading...
The Trump administration's defunding of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has endangered foreign journalists and staff, particularly those on J-1 visas who face potential deportation to countries where they risk imprisonment or death. The move, praised by Chinese and Russian state media, has led to a lawsuit against USAGM seeking to reverse the decision. The administration alleges national security violations within the agency.
