What's in Trump's ‘big, beautiful' budget bill?
NewsFeed What's in Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill?
What's in Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill? Al Jazeera's Heidi Zhou-Castro breaks down the bill that Donald Trump claims will usher in an economic golden age, whilst others warn it could add significantly to the national debt.
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Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Can the US afford to lose its 1.1 million international students?
Khadija Mahmoud* is pulling an all-nighter, filled with caffeine and surviving on adrenalin to pack up her belongings so she can catch the train in the morning from Washington, DC to New York City for her summer internship. Mahmoud is a 21-year old international student who has just finished her junior year at Georgetown University. She is anxious and worried after her immigration lawyer advised against leaving the country for the summer due to the recent border control policies for international students. On 27 May, the State Department instructed United States embassies around the world to temporarily pause scheduling new student visa appointments, as the Trump administration seeks to expand social media screenings for applicants, the latest in a string of restrictions targeting international students. 'It's been very turbulent, and equally terrifying with each development that comes,' Mahmoud told Al Jazeera, speaking from her college dormitory in Washington, DC. Mahmoud isn't alone in feeling this way. Many other international students say they feel they need to stay under the radar, afraid that even a small issue could get them deported. According to NAFSA, a US nonprofit organisation that focuses on international education and student exchange, over the 2023/2024 academic year there were just more than 1.1 million international students studying in the US. These international students made up 5.6 percent of the nearly 19 million total higher education students across the US. Together, students from India and China made up 54 percent of the total, with India leading at 331,602 (29 percent) and China at 277,398 (25 percent).Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA, who is herself a former international student, says she knows on a personal and professional level how important the cultural exchange between international students and local communities is, especially in today's hyper connected world. 'I think this is a major loss for the United States; other countries will open their doors and they are already welcoming students,' Aw told Al Jazeera. 'Students want certainty. They want consistency. And they want to know that the system works. And if they continue to see action after action, they're already losing trust,' she adds. 'Once you continue down this road, you will have years to recover from this, and you may never recover from it. Because by then, more other countries are competing for these same students.' 'We're seeing Germany. We're seeing Japan. We're seeing South Korea. Malaysia has always been a destination for students. The Middle East, with all of the American-style universities – this is what the US is competing with.' Although many international students are concentrated at major universities on the East and West coasts, a sizeable number also study at prominent universities in the Midwest and other parts of the US. According to data compiled by Open Doors, during the 2023/2024 academic year, New York City hosted the largest number of international students, with 27,247 at New York University and 20,321 at Columbia University. Northeastern University in Boston follows, with 21,023 international such student headed to the Midwest is Noor Ali*, a 23-year-old from Karachi, Pakistan, who is embarking on her masters in journalism on a full scholarship from the university. Ali has requested her identity be concealed and her institution not be named for her security. Despite having already received her student visa, she's still concerned about entering the US. 'I got my visa the day that India attacked Pakistan and Pakistan retaliated against India,' she laughs as she explains how she ventured out that day when both nuclear neighbours were engaged in an aerial face-off, far above in the skies. 'Miraculously, the appointment did not get cancelled. And I ended up going there for my interview. And I ended up getting the visa, which was like, insane. I didn't really know how I got it. But I mean, I've gotten it now!' Ali beams, her excitement undeniable at her luck. Although she had the option to study in Europe, she chose the US because of her familiarity with the country through movies and TV shows. Even without having visited, she feels like she understands American life and culture. 'These values of American democracy are about American freedom. And, you know, just a lot of focus on ethics and morality, and it used to be known for its academic freedom, and a lot of focus on diversity.' Ali's ideals are not without scepticism or worry. She admits being very scared and has reconsidered her decision several times. Still, she feels encouraged by the pushback the Trump administration's policies have received lately. 'The core of American democracy or ideals of freedom are getting reinforced,' says Ali. She feels strongly that the cultural experience will be worth it for her. The Trump administration's latest step in its crackdown on US universities has particularly focused on international students who have shown support for Palestinians in Gaza over the past year. 'Georgetown has a pretty large international student population compared to other schools in the US, so you'd think that would translate into a lot more advocacy and more grassroots work going on on campus,' Mahmoud goes on to say. Mahmoud feels her college hasn't been a very vocal campus when it comes to the rights of students, nor in providing a proper safety net for freedom of speech. 'I think a massive inflection point on campus was the detention of Dr Badar Suri. I felt the need to have to scrape through my social media, see if I posted anything that could get me flagged,' says Mahmoud. Dr Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral scholar of conflict studies, was arrested on March 17 outside his home in Rosslyn, Virginia and held in immigration detention for two months before being released on May 14, following a federal judge's order. Suri, whose wife Mapheze Saleh is a US citizen of Palestinian descent, has spoken out against Israel's war in Gaza. That particular case became a real turning point on the campus, she says, where a lot of international students had spoken up and taken to social media. According to NAFSA, the 1.1 million international students studying in the US contributed $43.8bn to the US economy during the 2023–2024 academic year, creating 378,175 jobs nationwide. That means that for every three international students enrolled, one US job was created or supported. California hosted the highest number of international students, with 140,858 contributing $6.4bn to the state's economy and supporting 55,114 jobs. New York followed with 135,813 students, generating $6.3bn and creating 51,719 jobs. Texas came third, with 89,546 international students contributing $2.5bn and supporting 22,112 jobs. In total, 12 states gained more than $1bn each from the economic contributions of international students. According to NAFSA, international student spending in these 12 states combined to generate 57 percent of the total dollar contribution to the US economy.'When your enrolment declines, then you're going to have some economic challenges and that's going to force institutions to have to make some very difficult decisions and choices,' NAFSA executive director Fanta Aw explains. 'The number of high schoolers that are graduating is on the decline in most parts of the country. So it's not like they can make that up with American domestic students because that's already on the decline.' 'So when you cannot have the level of enrollment at the undergraduate level here in the US and that is then compounded with the decline in international students, that's a perfect storm.' Aw says many international students who return home contribute to their countries, while those who stay in the US contribute through taxes and help boost the overall economy. In the 2023-2024 academic year, among the 1.1 million students, the most popular majors were Math and Computer Science, Engineering, and Business and Management. International students enrolled in English language programs contributed $371.3m and supported 2,691 jobs. In terms of degrees, nearly half (502,000) of all international students were registered for postgraduate programmes, 343,000 in undergraduate programmes, 243,000 in Optional Practical Training (OPT), and 39,000 in non-degree programmes.*Name has been changed to protect anonymity
Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
The Take: Why is the Dominican Republic deporting Haitian migrants?
The Dominican Republic has deported nearly 150,000 people it claims are of Haitian descent since October 2024. Many of them are unaccompanied minors or people born in the Dominican Republic but stripped of citizenship in 2013. While officials say they are enforcing immigration laws, a recent Al Jazeera documentary points to a deeper history of anti-Blackness and anti-Haitian sentiment on the island. In this episode: Episode credits: This episode was produced by Tamara Khandaker, Sonia Bhagat and Ashish Malhotra, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Khaled Soltan, Mariana Navarrete, Kisaa Zehra, Remas Alhawari, Kingwell Ma and our guest host, Manuel Rapalo. It was edited by Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah, Mohannad Al-Melhem and Kylene Kiang. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Trump announces travel ban on people from 12 countries
United States President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing a full travel ban on people from 12 countries and restricting the citizens of seven other countries, The Associated Press news agency reports. The banned countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition to the ban, which takes effect on Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. 'I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,' Trump said in his proclamation. This is a breaking news story. More to follow shortly.
