Latest news with #InternationalStudents
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Harvard's Jewish foreign students feel scared in Trump row
If President Donald Trump says he's punishing Harvard University to protect Jewish students, not everybody is than 2,000 Harvard students identify as Jewish, and for some of those from abroad, Trump's rhetoric has stirred fear and uncertainty. "I thought when I left Israel I was leaving a conflict zone," PhD student Genia, 41, tells me. It's foreign students like her that fear becoming collateral damage in Trump's crackdown on some of America's most elite last week trying to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol international students, the Trump administration suffered a legal blow on Thursday when a judge indicated she would block the move while the case plays out in the ruling is unlikely to deescalate the conflict between Trump and Harvard, an institution he accuses of being too left-wing and failing to combat antisemitism when pro-Palestinian protests have unfolded on campuses."It's been hard. We've had guest speakers here saying my heritage and sacred texts should be decolonised, and questioning my existence" says Genia, who is studying is halfway through her studies which focus on language acquisition in babies who are blind. She worries being sent back to Israel if the foreign ban prevails."I do think that it is very important to learn to be uncomfortable and offended. But I think it should be applied to both sides... it's not been balanced. ""I've had two years of dealing with massive amounts of campus hostility and now we get this mayhem... it's not making things better." In a small backdown, the government has given Harvard 30 days to prove it meets the requirements of enrolling foreign students. If the measure is ultimately allowed, it could deliver a devastating blow to the university, where more than a quarter of students are from overseas. There are no exceptions for Israelis or other international Jewish order ostensibly designed to protect Jewish students like Genia appears to have put those from abroad, in peril. It's led to accusations that President Trump has politicised says: "I think that it is very important that we recognize that there is a distinction between what we want and what the US government probably wants."The university's president insists Harvard has taken major steps to tackle all forms of hatred - as well as anti-Jewish activity. Alan Garber says the cuts the Trump administration is imposing on the institution will "hurt" the country, not just Harvard, because academics were conducting research deemed "high-priority" by the Machlis, 27, is about to graduate. Her family is here to see her walk the stage in her cap and gown. She is upbeat but that feeling had been missing for a while."For the first time in a long time, I feel very proud to be a student at Harvard. Harvard has been under immense pressure by the Trump administration, and the institution has shown it is making decisions with integrity to defend its academic freedom and to not bow down to the power grab," she says. "The university still has a lot to prove and do when it comes to tackling antisemitism" she adds, "but I'm proud with what President Garber is saying and doing." Another Israeli at Harvard - who works as a research fellow – is concerned about the Trump administration's approach. The 38-year-old didn't want to be identified as she weighs up her future.."I see that Harvard is really trying to address the problems... but you cannot change a culture and problems. These are not Harvard specific problems, and they're not even problems of the American elite. These are big problems in the world and it does not take a week, or a day, to solve them."She draws parallels with her home country and adopted country"Israelis have been experiencing democratic backsliding in a very intense way and I think we should be the first to recognise what's going on here in the US."Harvard Professor Steven Levitsky goes further. He has spent decades studying authoritarian governments and believes that President Trump is using antisemitism as a cover to bring elite education under his control. "We're the biggest fish. We're the most prominent, most prestigious, and also the best university in the country. So if you want a single representative of higher education to take a whack at, Harvard is the obvious target," he tells me."If the Trump administration is able to bully Harvard into acquiescence, then it knows that no other university will be able to stand up to on experiencing antisemitism throughout his life, he says: "I've never seen or experienced antisemitism here at Harvard. And so the kind of the notion that we have a serious problem that requires federal intervention, as a Jew who's lived here for 25 years, I can tell you it's laughable."But this ongoing battle threatens to leave Harvard in a different place even if the school is successful in its fight. Many international students say they're already looking to build their academic future elsewhere, while others who have graduated say they plan to take their skills to countries outside of reporting by Eva Artesona
New York Times
5 days ago
- General
- New York Times
As the Epic Struggle for Harvard Unfolds
To the Editor: Re 'Trump Tells Agencies to Sever All Funding Ties to Harvard' (news article, May 28) and 'Trump Says Harvard Should Limit Its Admittance of International Students' (news article, May 29): I am a biology Ph.D. student at Harvard, which will lose all government funds thanks to the Trump administration. My international student friends fear that their visas will be revoked. This is all apparently to punish 'a hostile learning environment for Jewish students.' As a Jewish student and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Israel, I find these actions and this justification disturbing. In my experience, Harvard is a safe community that takes problems with antisemitism seriously. I am instead deeply concerned that the Trump administration is using antisemitism as justification — and Jews as essentially scapegoats in reverse — for its attacks on academic institutions. This tactic is a favorite of authoritarian regimes, which fear institutions that choose loyalty to the truth over loyalty to the regime. Tal Scully Somerville, Mass. To the Editor: As President Trump continues his slash-and-burn crusade against elite universities, particularly Harvard, perhaps the administration should consider that universities are typically made up of young and educated people, who are typically more liberal than the general population.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Absurd, anxious, concerned: Students react to US revoking Chinese student visas
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 28, 2025 that the United States will start 'aggressively' revoking visas issued to Chinese students, and will 'enhance scrutiny' of applications from mainland China and Hong Kong. The move followed a series of actions aimed more broadly at restricting international students amid allegations by the Trump administration that they presented a threat to national security.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Chinese students call measure 'Chinese Exclusion Act' after Rubio vows to revoke visas
Chinese students studying in the U.S. are scrambling to figure out their futures after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that some students would have their visas revoked. The U.S. will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in 'critical fields", and those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party," according to the announcement. 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 U.S. This is a 'new version of Chinese Exclusion Act,' said Linqin, a Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University, who asked to be identified only by his first name out of fear of retaliation. He said Wednesday was the first time he thought about leaving the U.S. after spending one third of his life here. Chinese international students are point of tension between U.S. and China The issue of Chinese students studying overseas has long been a point of tension in the bilateral relationship. During Trump's first term, in 2019, China's Ministry of Education warned students about visa issues in the U.S., with rising rejection rates and shortening of visas. Last year, the Chinese Foreign Ministry protested that a number of Chinese students have been unfairly interrogated and sent home upon arrival at U.S. airports. Chinese state media has long hyped gun violence in the U.S. and violent protests during the pandemic, and portrayed the U.S. as a dangerous place that wasn't safe for its citizens. The tense bilateral relationship has also meant that some Chinese students are opting to study in the U.K. or other countries over the U.S. after the pandemic. Zou Renge, a 27-year-old public policy master's student at the University of Chicago, said she had planned to take some time off and work in humanitarian aid programs abroad after graduating at the end of this year. But now, she will refrain from leaving the U.S. and will look for jobs in the meantime. 'In a very uncertain environment, I'll try my best to find myself a solution,' she said. Hong Kong seeks to draw in Chinese talent amid uncertainty Some were eager to capitalize on the uncertainty facing international students. Hong Kong's leader John Lee told lawmakers on Thursday that the city would welcome any students who have been discriminated against by American policies to study in the city. 'The students who face unfair treatment can come from different countries beyond the U.S. I think this is an opportunity for Hong Kong,' he said. 'We will work with our universities to provide the best support and assistance.' That followed a widely shared post by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology offering to smooth the process for any Harvard University students to transfer after Trump had said he would revoke the university's ability to accept international students. Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to China in 1997, is a popular destination for mainland Chinese students to pursue their university degrees because of its international image and relative freedoms. The city in 2022 already had launched a new visa scheme to counter the exodus of expatriates and local professionals that occurred after Beijing imposed a national security law to quell dissent and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kitty Wu, director of education consultancy Litz USA Student Service in Hong Kong, said that some students who planned to apply to American universities in the future are now also considering the University of Hong Kong, the city's top university and an option because of its high ranking — something that had not happened before. 'Things are different every day now, we don't know how things will change in the future, so we don't know the impact for next year,' she said. U.S. was known for diversity and this will hurt it, students say 'Having fewer international exchanges is definitely not good for America's development,' said Zhang Qi, a post-doctoral fellow in Beijing. "This could be a positive change for China's development. More talented individuals may choose to stay at Tsinghua or Peking University, or with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other top institutions in China, which would benefit the development of domestic science and technology.' For many, there is little they can do as they now wait for the fallout from the move. Chen, an incoming Chinese student at Purdue University who only gave his last name out of concern for retaliation by the Trump administration, has been waiting anxiously for his visa approval. But he was also angry. Currently in China, he said this was the exact opposite of what he thought the U.S. stood for. 'I was expecting freedom and tolerance, the U.S. was known for its diversity which allows international students to fit in, but it is a pity to see such kind of change," he said. —- Leung reported from Hong Kong, Wu from Bangkok. Associated Press researcher Shihuan Chen and video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Marco Rubio says U.S. to begin revoking visas of some Chinese students
Social Sharing U.S. 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 2023-24 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 said in a statement. The Chinese Embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday night. 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. Together, the announcements from the State Department added to uncertainty for America's international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from the Trump 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. More scrutiny for future applicants 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." WATCH | U.S. halts scheduling of new visa interviews for international students: U.S. pauses new foreign student visa applications 6 hours ago Duration 4:34 Visa applicants have been required to provide social media handles to the U.S. State Department since 2019. A cable sent to U.S. embassies and consulate 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.
