State Department targets Chinese students in continued changes to visa system
The Brief
The U.S. State Department is temporarily suspending new interviews for international student visas to expand social media screenings.
The new policy aims to combat antisemitism, censorship, and "anti-American" speech, according to the administration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. will also revoke visas of Chinese students with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in critical fields.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. State Department says a new policy will ensure international students are properly vetted before coming to the United States.
The change comes months after many international students at North Texas schools had their visas revoked in similar updates to the system.
What we know
The department has a singular message for American colleges, universities and the foreign-born students who wish to attend them.
Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said it was temporarily suspending new interviews for international students applying to study in the U.S. as the Fed works to expand its screenings of social media.
According to the administration, it's to combat antisemitism, censorship and "anti-American" speech.
Harvard University has been at the center of numerous conflicts with the White House. Last week, the Ivy League school was blocked from enrolling future international students or retaining its current ones.
What we don't know
It's unclear to what degree North Texas schools will be affected by the additional changes.
FOX 4 reached out to the North Texas universities impacted the most with recent issues relating to international student visas, but received no response.
What they're saying
"Every sovereign nation has a right to make sure they know who's in their nation and if they are safe to be here & for the people who want to come," said Tammy Bruce with the U.S. State Department.
Late Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio took it a step further, saying on X:
"The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields."
Critics say the update takes it too far.
"If this is, in fact, about national security and threats, why only international students?" asked Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.
Aw says she's puzzled because there are already stringent requirements in place for this particular population.
"There were lots of measures that were taken by the government, as it relates to consulate affairs and vetting of folks coming into the United States as a result of 9/11 to ensure those coming into the U.S. were coming in, and not a national threat," said Aw.
Dig deeper
Earlier this year, dozens of international students attending North Texas schools had their visas revoked as Rubio and his department began to implement their changes.
At that time, Rubio vowed to terminate the visas of international students and others who participate in activities that counter U.S. national interests or those who have broken the law.
The backstory
Last May, the University of Texas at Dallas was at the center of a national firestorm, when students rallied in support of Palestine.
The students set up an encampment on campus, calling for the school to divest from corporations involved in supplying Israel with weapons used against Gaza.
Police ultimately intervened and arrested at least 21 people. At least nine were disciplined by the university.
The Source
Information in this article comes from the U.S. State Department and NAFSA.
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