Senior White House adviser Kari Lake, a staunch Trump ally known for her election denialism, is spearheading efforts to deport former Voice of America (VOA) journalists she dismissed in sweeping layoffs earlier this year.
“Their time here is up. And I said before, 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,” Lake told Eric Bolling of the right-wing network Real America’s Voice.
For decades, VOA—part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)—has recruited journalists worldwide to deliver American perspectives in more than 50 languages. Many arrived on J-1 visas, which require them to stay employed by USAGM or leave the U.S. within 30 days of termination.
That deadline began immediately for those included in the first wave of layoffs in March, The Atlantic reported. Some journalists now face the threat of persecution or imprisonment if returned to their home countries after working for the U.S. government.
Lake, who argues the visa program “should have never started to begin with,” has shown little sympathy. During her interview with Bolling, he suggested sending VOA journalists to Florida’s new migrant detention center, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Lake chuckled and replied, “Well, if you overstay your visa, ICE is going to find you. And they will find you in this case as well.”
Using a blunt metaphor, she added, “America’s not a hostel, you don’t get to come here and stay forever.”
The former television journalist, who twice lost statewide elections in Arizona, has overseen sharp cuts at VOA since President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March directing the agency’s dismantling. Hundreds of employees were laid off, and global programming—broadcast since World War II to audiences in countries under authoritarian rule—was slashed.
Lake has branded VOA “rotten to the core” and “anti-American.” Critics argue the closures give adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran greater opportunity to spread anti-U.S. propaganda.
Pushing beyond typical anti-immigration rhetoric, Lake has cast J-1 visa holders as potential spies. “Many of them [are] from nations that are hostile to America,” she told Bolling. “These are from countries that are adversarial to the United States of America. You have to worry that they will become a national security risk.”
Former VOA director Chase Untermeyer, who served under President George H. W. Bush, told The Atlantic, “In many ways, they’re exactly the people you want,” calling the firings and deportations “extraordinarily short-sighted.”
Some displaced VOA journalists have already left the U.S., while others are seeking asylum. The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement, “Protecting these journalists from the risk of deportation is a moral obligation and demonstrates a commitment to democratic values and a free press.”