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Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in "critical fields.' China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the United States. 'Under President Trump's leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,' Rubio wrote. The Chinese Embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday night. The action comes at a time of intensifying scrutiny of the ties between U.S. higher education and China. House Republicans this month pressed Duke University to cut its ties with a Chinese university, saying it allowed Chinese students to gain access to federally funded research at Duke. Last year, House Republicans issued a report warning that hundreds of millions of dollars in defense funding was going to research partnerships linked to the Chinese government, providing 'back-door access to the very foreign adversary nation whose aggression these capabilities are necessary to protect against.' The Department of Homeland Security raised similar issues in a letter barring international students at Harvard University last week. Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard of 'coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party,' citing research collaborations with Chinese scholars. It also accused Harvard of training members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a Chinese paramilitary group. The announcement came a day after Rubio halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students as the department prepares guidelines for increased vetting of their activity on social media. The crackdown on visas adds to uncertainty for international students Together, the announcements from the State Department added to uncertainty for America's international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from President Donald Trump's administration. Earlier this year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and tried to deport students who had been involved in campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war. And the Trump administration abruptly terminated the legal status of thousands of international students before reversing itself and then expanding the grounds on which students can lose permission to study in the U.S. University of Wisconsin student Vladyslav Plyaka was planning to visit Poland to see his mother and renew his visa, but he doesn't know when that will be possible now that visa appointments are suspended. He also doesn't feel safe leaving the U.S. even when appointments resume. 'I don't think I have enough trust in the system at this point,' said Plyaka, who came to the U.S. from Ukraine as an exchange student in high school and stayed for college. 'I understand it probably is done for security measures, but I would probably just finish my education for the next two or three years and then come back to Ukraine.' The Trump administration last week moved to block Harvard University from enrolling any international students, a decision that has been put on hold by a federal judge, pending a lawsuit. Trump said Wednesday that Harvard, whose current student population is made up of more than a quarter of international students, should limit that percentage to about 15%. 'I want to make sure the foreign students are people that can love our country,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The action on Chinese students renews a priority from Trump's first administration to clamp down on academic ties between the United States and China, which Republicans have called a threat to national security. In April, Trump ordered the Education Department to ramp up enforcement of a federal rule requiring colleges to disclose information about funding from foreign sources. During his first term, the Education Department opened 19 investigations into foreign funding at U.S. universities and found that they underreported money flowing from China, Russia and other countries described as foreign adversaries. Hours before Rubio announced the change, Eastern Michigan University announced it was ending engineering partnerships with two Chinese universities, responding to Republican pressure. Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, recently urged Eastern Michigan and other universities to end partnerships with Chinese universities. Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year — a source of essential revenue for tuition-driven colleges. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid. Often, they pay full price. Northeastern University, which has more than 20,000 international students, has set up 'contingency plans' for those who hit visa delays, said spokesperson Renata Nyul, without elaborating. 'This is a very dynamic situation, and we are closely monitoring the developments in real time to assess any potential impacts,' she said. The US plans more in-depth reviews of visa applicants' social media In his announcement on China, Rubio said the government also will 'revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong.' Visa applicants have been required to provide social media handles to the State Department since 2019. The cable Tuesday did not indicate what kind of additional scrutiny the new guidelines would cover, but suggested the new reviews may be more resource-intensive. The additional vetting will deter students from coming to the U.S., said Jonathan Friedman of PEN America, a literary and free expression organization. 'The details remain vague, but this policy risks upending the long-standing place of the U.S. as a beacon for intellectual and cultural exchange with the world,' Friedman said. The move to cut off international enrollment at Harvard stems from a dispute with the Department of Homeland Security, which has demanded that it provide information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation. Harvard says it complied with the records request, but the agency said its response fell short. On Wednesday, Trump said more scrutiny of Harvard's students is necessary. 'They're taking people from areas of the world that are very radicalized, and we don't want them making trouble in our country,' Trump said. The Trump administration has cut over $2.6 billion in federal grants for Harvard as it presses demands for changes to policies and governance at the Ivy League school, which the president has described as a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. Harvard has pushed back and filed a lawsuit against the administration. ___ Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim in Washington and Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. to 'aggressively' revoke Chinese student visas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says
The U.S. is poised to "aggressively" revoke visas issued to an unspecified number of students from China, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. The action is expected to intensify the Trump administration's clash with universities over their international students, a chaotic showdown that has upended campus life, threatened a major stream of university income during a time of deep federal funding cuts and spilled into courtrooms across the country. Rubio said on X that the revocation will include "those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," without elaborating on what areas of study would be targeted or whether the move would apply solely to college students. He said in a statement that the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security would "aggressively" revoke the visas, while also revising "visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong." The most recent data from the Institute of International Education said that more than 1.1 million foreign students — over half of whom are Chinese or Indian nationals — were in the U.S. for undergraduate, graduate or postgraduation work training programs in 2023-24. The largest share of all international students attended institutions in California, the report said. In California, Chinese students are the biggest group of international students. The 51,000 Chinese nationals in California make up more than a third of the state's nearly 141,000 foreign students. At USC alone, there were nearly 6,000 Chinese students as of fall 2024. USC, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego and UCLA drew the largest numbers of overall international students. Read more: Trump attack to block Harvard international students raises fears at California campuses Kevin Lu, who is from Shenzhen, China, and graduated with a finance degree from USC in December, said the statement from Rubio was "really disappointing." Lu, who is working for an investment bank in Orange County, is on a visa under "optional practical training," a work authorization commonly given to international student graduates to gain professional experience. "After this news, I may postpone any international travel because once I leave the country, I might have a bigger risk of not being able to come back," Lu said. "I wonder if they revoke enough student visas it will be a hit for the U.S. economy because international students are not only a source of income for universities — we pay more for tuition — but we also offer value to universities and companies." The announcement comes as higher education has been roiled by a litany of policy changes related to foreign students. The efforts by the Trump administration have sown fear on campuses nationwide and led some students to depart. On Tuesday, the State Department stopped scheduling visa interviews with students from foreign countries aiming to relocate their studies stateside, though it said the move was temporary. The department said it was preparing to increase the vetting of prospective international students' social media activity. Days earlier, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students. The Massachusetts institution quickly filed a lawsuit over the action and won a temporary stop to the government's ban. The fight over foreign students is increasingly playing out in the courts: Last week a California judge issued a nationwide injunction that blocked the Trump administration's efforts to end the legal status of thousands of international students while a court case challenging the terminations is pending. S. Jack Hu, who was selected as the incoming UC Riverside chancellor Wednesday and who was born in China, said he had not seen Rubio's announcement but believed the U.S. remained a "draw for international talents." "Those of us who came to study or work ... we are contributing to education and economic development and to the country," said Hu, who secured a visa to study engineering as a graduate student at the University of Michigan in the 1980s. "If you look at California — many of the newer technology companies and startups — it's immigrants who contribute a lot to those new technologies and the economy of the country," said Hu, currently the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia. He will start his new position July 15. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
France 24
an hour ago
- Politics
- France 24
Trump administration to 'aggressively' revoke Chinese student visas
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday vowed to "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education. The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked a show of defiance after China criticized his decision a day earlier to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily. The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests. The United States will "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," Rubio said in a statement. "We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong," he said. Young Chinese people have long been crucial to US universities, which rely on international students paying full tuition. China sent 277,398 students in the 2023-24 academic year, although India for the first time in years surpassed it, according to a State Department-backed report of the Institute of International Education. Trump in his previous term also took aim at Chinese students but focused attention on those in sensitive fields or with explicit links with the military. It was unclear to what extent Rubio's statement marked an escalation. - Global uncertainty - China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday said Beijing urged Washington to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China." Rubio has already trumpeted the revocation of thousands of visas, largely to international students who were involved in activism critical of Israel. A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued" on ramping up screening of applicants' social media accounts. The measures also threaten to pressure students from countries friendly to the United States. In Taiwan, a PhD student set to study in California complained of "feeling uncertain" by the visa pause. "I understand the process may be delayed but there is still some time before the semester begins in mid-August," said the 27-year-old student who did not want to be identified. "All I can do now is wait and hope for the best." - Protests at Harvard - Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration's push for oversight on admissions and hiring, amid the president's claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and "woke" liberal ideology. A judge paused the order to bar foreign students pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday, the same day as the university's graduation ceremony for which thousands of students and their families had gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The White House has also stripped Harvard, as well as other US universities widely considered among the world's most elite, of federal funding for research. "The president is more interested in giving that taxpayer money to trade schools and programs and state schools where they are promoting American values, but most importantly, educating the next generation based on skills that we need in our economy and our society," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox News. Some Harvard students were worried that the Trump administration's policies would make US universities less attractive to international students. "I don't know if I'd pursue a PhD here. Six years is a long time," said Jack, a history of medicine student from Britain who is graduating this week and gave only a first name. Harvard has filed extensive legal challenges against Trump's measures.
Mint
an hour ago
- Politics
- Mint
‘DEPORT XI JINPING'S DAUGHTER!': MAGA amid US visa crackdown on Chinese students
American far-right MAGA activist Laura Loomer called for the deportation of Chinese President Xi Jinping's daughter following US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's announcement that the United States will begin 'aggressively' revoking visas of Chinese students. US President Donald Trump's administration has intensified efforts to deport people and revoke student visas as part of its broader hardline immigration agenda. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post 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.' In a statement, Rubio added that the State Department will revise visa criteria to impose stricter scrutiny on all future applications from China and Hong Kong. Replying to this, Loomer said, 'LET'S GO! DEPORT XI JINPING'S DAUGHTER! She lives in Massachusetts and went to Harvard! Sources tell me PLA guards from the CCP provide her with private security on US soil in Massachusetts!' China's Foreign Ministry previously pledged to 'firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests' of its students abroad, in response to the Trump administration's decision to revoke Harvard University's authority to enroll foreign students—a move that would significantly impact Chinese nationals studying there. (This is a breaking news)
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
US to begin revoking visas of ‘Chinese' students, says Secretary of State Marco Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced that the Trump administration will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in 'critical fields.' In a post on X, Rubio, said, 'The US will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.' The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 28, 2025 The announcement follows a series of actions this week, adding to the growing uncertainty for international students, who are already facing mounting pressure under the Trump administration. This move is certain to intensify anxiety for Chinese students in the US, and spur recriminations in China. This isn't the first time a crackdown has been ordered against Chinese students. In 2020, officials during the first Trump administration decided to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese graduate students and researchers who had direct ties to military universities in China. China sends the second-largest group of international students to the United States, and many universities rely on Chinese and other international students paying full tuition for a substantial part of their annual revenue. A report published by the State Department and the Institute of International Education, a nonprofit group, revealed that the total number of international students at US colleges and universities reached an all-time high of more than 1.1 million (1,126,690) international students in 2023/2024, a 7% increase from the previous academic year. China, followed by India, accounted for the second-largest share of these students enrolled in American higher education institutions during the 2023–24 term. In a related move, Rubio also announced that the State Department will impose new visa restrictions on foreign officials and individuals accused of censoring Americans abroad. 'It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on US citizens or US residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on US soil,' he said in a statement. He added that 'it is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.' In the most recent crackdown against Harvard, US President Donald Trump proposed a cap on foreign students at Harvard, asking the Ivy League to limit its foreign students intake to 15 per cent. The administration further plans to cancel all remaining contracts with Harvard University, worth about $100 million, according to a letter seen by The New York Times. Trump also threatened to cut three billion dollars of grant money to Harvard, and and giving it to trade schools. The clampdown on Harvard follows an earlier decision by the administration to revoke Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, accusing it of perpetuating an 'unsafe' campus environment for Jews, promoting 'pro-Hamas sympathies', and employing 'racial' diversity, equity and inclusion policies. (With inputs from New York Times)
