Kari Lake Pledges Crackdown on Non-Citizen Media Workers

Former television news anchor and senatorial candidate,Kari Lake  oversees Voice of America and similar government-funded broadcasting services that send American news around the world. However, Lake is making significant changes to how these operations work. 

She's particularly focused on foreign journalists who work for these agencies on special visas.

Kari Lake has appeared on several conservative TV shows to explain her plans. She describes employees who came to America on J-1 visas, which are temporary work permits. These visas require people to leave the country within 30 days if they lose their jobs.

"Their time here is up," Lake said during a recent TV interview on Real America’s Voice with Eric Bolling. "If I have to go to the airport with them, and accompany them to the airport and get them on the flight, I will do that."

According to Lake, some foreign workers might pose a threat to security risks: "Many of them are from nations that are hostile to America," she explained. "You have to worry that they will become a national security risk."

After President Trump signed an executive order in March directing changes to the agency, Lake began implementing new policies. She put most Voice of America staff on administrative leave and ended contracts with hundreds of workers. She also reduced news programming in many parts of the world.

These changes affected broadcasts that reached more than 420 million people across 100 countries each week. The programs had been running for decades, sending American news and viewpoints to international audiences.

Lake describes Voice of America as having serious problems that need fixing. She has called it "rotten to the core" and "anti-American."

The foreign journalists that Lake is focusing on came to America specifically to work for these broadcasting services. Helping deliver news in more than 50 different languages to audiences around the world. Their J-1 visas required them to keep working for Lake's agency or leave the country, as reported by The Atlantic.

Lake doesn't think these workers should stay in America long-term. 

"America's not a hostel, you don't get to come here and stay forever," she said.

This puts the journalists in a difficult position. If Lake eliminates their jobs, they have to leave the country within a month.

Some former officials who worked at Voice of America disagree with Lake's approach. They worry that ending these broadcasts gives other countries more opportunity to spread their messages without American voices to provide different perspectives.

President Trump initially wanted Lake to change Voice of America into what she called a "weapon" in an "information war." However, his executive order directed significant reductions to the operation she was supposed to lead.

Some people argue that Lake's focus on removing foreign journalists hurts America's ability to communicate with the rest of the world. These employees understood the languages and cultures of countries where American messaging could counter hostile propaganda.

Others support Lake's approach, believing that foreign nationals shouldn't work in sensitive government positions, even in media roles.

Lake continues working to reshape America's international broadcasting operations according to the Trump administration's directives. She is focusing on international journalists who feel uncertain about their employment and ability to maintain residency in the United States.

If these services are significantly reduced or discontinued, the larger question of how America will continue to be represented in international media is still open.