In March 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media—an institution that oversaw Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and other vital outlets delivering independent news across some of the world’s most repressive regimes. Almost overnight, hundreds of foreign journalists on U.S. work visas were left in limbo. Some faced deportation to countries where their past reporting could land them in prison—or worse. Four Radio Free Asia contributors are currently detained in Vietnam. In Russia and Myanmar, Voice of America journalists are behind bars. For these reporters, the shutdown isn’t a bureaucratic decision—it’s a life-threatening blow.