Trump Is Coming for Chinese Students. Who Will Protect Them?
Six universities received letters from Congress in March asking them to turn over information on programs where Chinese students participate and work. Now, academic workers speaking through their unions are demanding that their schools reject calls to turn over information on the students and faculty.
The demand for information on Chinese students is part of a growing attack by the Trump administration and its Republican allies on Capitol Hill against universities in the U.S. The congressional focus on Chinese students in particular comes against the backdrop of rising of Sinophobia and racism against Chinese Americans under the guise of criticism of the Chinese government, said a scholar who focuses on science and technology in U.S.–China relationships.
'This issue has been weaponized by the national security establishment in the U.S. — an issue of civil liberties is being treated through the means and lens of a great power rivalry and the means and lens of national security,' said Yangyang Chen, a fellow at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School. 'That is being further used to victimize the members of the same community in the name of protecting them.'
The letters demanding information about the Chinese students came from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, chaired by Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich.
Describing the student visa program as a 'Trojan horse for Beijing,' the committee called on the universities to provide information on all the schools that Chinese students at their institution previously attended; sources of tuition funding; what kind of research Chinese students are conducting; a list of programs that include Chinese participants and their sources of funding; and a list of labs and research initiatives where Chinese students work.
The committee also requested a country-by-country breakdown of applicants, admittances, and enrollees at each university.
The letters were sent to Carnegie Mellon University, Purdue University, Stanford University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland, and the University of Southern California. Universities have said that the letters did not request information on individuals but rather on aggregate statistics. Some schools have issued statements that they would act in accordance with privacy protections for students. (The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party did not respond to a request for comment.)
Chen, the Yale scholar, said, 'This is an infringement of the Chinese students and scholars' civil liberties.'
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While many universities — especially well-heeled elite institutions — have faced criticisms for failing to aid their international students, pushback against powerful forces in Washington continues to grow. In the case of the Chinese students, academic workers are hoping universities will show fortitude in staving off congressional Republicans.
On Wednesday, a coalition of 21 academic worker unions signed an open letter to executives and trustees at their schools raising concerns about the risks facing Chinese students and demanding that schools refuse to provide any information on Chinese students, faculty, or post-doctoral scholars to the House committee.
'Complying with these letters' requests would not only contribute to demonizing Chinese nationals, but also set a dangerous precedent for victimizing any group arbitrarily labeled as a threat,' they wrote. 'At a time when the Trump administration is targeting international faculty, students, and academic workers, standing fast to strong principles of fairness, due process and academic freedom is more important than ever.'
'Blaming China has become a bipartisan strategy.'
'These letters are part of a broader escalation of anti-Chinese sentiment that has intensified with rising U.S.-China tensions,' said Valentina Dallona, political director for the nonprofit Justice Is Global, which helped organize the letter. 'As U.S. policymakers grapple with what may be the end of the neoliberal order and the shifting balance of global power, blaming China has become a bipartisan strategy. This scapegoating not only fuels discrimination but also jeopardizes international research partnerships that are crucial for addressing global challenges.'
Schools have so far complied with the requests, according to statements from universities in response to inquiries from The Intercept and accounts from graduate students.
The University of Southern California downplayed the implications of the request, said Daniel Delgado, a historian at the school and member of a graduate student union organized under the auspices of the United Auto Workers. The school implied that the information requested in the letter is typical or publicly available, Delgado said.
'That doesn't address the core problem, which is the targeting of Chinese students and use of this war-mongering to create fear and to target Chinese international workers,' he said. 'That's what I think they're trying to basically ignore by downplaying the significance of this information request.'
The University of Maryland has not told students if the school will voluntarily provide information to government entities looking to target individuals, said Rose Ying, a graduate student at Maryland and an organizer with the university's graduate student union.
Maryland administrators have said they won't work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless they have a judicial warrant — which is signed by a judge based on probable cause indicating a crime, whereas administrative warrants are issued by ICE itself without a judge's review.
'But we are trying to get them to talk about information requests more broadly,' she said. 'If this committee comes back and says, 'Hey, we actually want a list of individuals' — would they give over that information?'
A spokesperson for the University of Maryland said they turned over information in accordance with federal and state law by the deadline of April 25. In a statement to The Intercept, university spokesperson Katie Lawson said, 'It is our understanding that the request did not seek personally identifiable information.'
A spokesperson for Carnegie Mellon said the school had responded to the committee's inquiry but did not answer questions about what kind of data it turned over.
In a March statement, Stanford said the committee had requested aggregate information not specific to individuals. 'Stanford will continue working to support our students and also to fulfill our legal obligations in protecting individual student privacy,' the university said, noting that it would 'assure the security and integrity of the research environment.'
In response to questions, Stanford University spokesperson Luisa Rapport pointed to the March statement and said the school had responded to the committee's letter and would continue to 'work cooperatively' with them.
A spokesperson for USC said the school was complying with the congressional request. 'We are cooperating with the select committee's inquiries,' the spokesperson said in a statement to The Intercept, 'and are following all applicable privacy laws and other legal protections, as we do for all matters.'
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