Is this the new America? Turning away global talent is a betrayal of our values

Ya Libnan

5 days ago

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A judge has issued a temporary restraining order last week blocking the Trump administration's plan to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol foreign students.
By Ya Libnan Editoria Board – Op-Ed
At a time when the United States should be reaffirming its role as a global leader in education, innovation, and diplomacy, we are instead turning inward—closing our doors to the very people who once saw America as the beacon of opportunity and learning.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon made what he called his most important achievement: opening diplomatic relations with China. That historic trip was not about division or confrontation—it was about building bridges and recognizing the value of cooperation between two world powers. In the decades that followed, despite ups and downs, U.S.-China relations produced deep ties in trade, science, and most notably, education.
For years, American universities welcomed tens of thousands of Chinese students who enriched our campuses, conducted cutting-edge research, and returned home with a deep appreciation for American values. Their presence wasn't just academic—it was a form of diplomacy, a powerful expression of America's belief in openness, merit, and freedom of thought.
But today, we are dismantling that legacy.
Driven by escalating political tensions and national security concerns, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has led efforts to restrict student visas—particularly for applicants from China. The implications are far-reaching: we are punishing individuals who pose no threat, while harming our own institutions and undercutting America's global standing.
This is not how great nations lead.
Harvard University—like many leading institutions—has benefited immensely from Chinese scholars, donors, and research partnerships. The Harvard China Fund has supported collaboration on climate change, disability studies, and legal reform. Yet the very students and scholars who would breathe life into these projects are now being shut out.
Blocking Chinese students from entering the United States is more than a policy misstep—it is a strategic failure. It's like shooting ourselves in the foot. For decades, we've taken pride in seeing global leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and changemakers who studied in America. But if we close our gates today, what will we celebrate tomorrow?
We risk losing far more than tuition dollars or research partnerships.
We are forfeiting our soft power
—the kind that cannot be replicated by military might or trade agreements. When international students come here, they carry home with them a piece of America: its spirit of inquiry, its tolerance for dissent, its belief in possibility. That influence has been one of our greatest strengths.
We must ask ourselves hard questions:
Is this the new America?
Have we become so fearful that we no longer trust our own institutions to remain secure in the face of foreign scholars? Have we stopped believing in the values that once made us
a magnet for the world's best and brightest
?
This is not just about China. It's about who we are—and who we want to be. America was built by those who came from elsewhere, who brought their talents, ideas, and hopes to these shores. Our universities are not just centers of learning—they are
symbols of what America aspires to be
: open, inclusive, forward-looking.
If we abandon that vision, we won't just lose students. We'll lose something far more precious:
our identity
as a confident, generous, and leading nation.
Let us not become the country that shuts its doors to the future. Let us remain the nation that inspires the world to knock.