Latest news with #USHigherEducation
Al Arabiya
14 hours ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
Trump says Chinese students in US will ‘be ok'
US President Donald Trump told reporters late Friday he wanted to assure Chinese international students in the country that they would be fine amid his administration's crackdown on academia. Trump's administration this week said it would specifically target permissions for Chinese students, in its latest broadside against US higher education. But when asked Friday what message he would send to Chinese college students in the country, Trump insisted: 'They're going to be ok. It's going to work out fine.' 'We just want to check out the individual students we have. And that's true with all colleges,' he told reporters. The softer tone comes after a judge on Thursday extended a temporary block on Trump's bid to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed on Wednesday to 'aggressively' revoke visas to students from China. Rubio has already yanked thousands of visas, largely over students' involvement in activism critical of Israel's offensive in Gaza, but also over minor traffic violations and other infractions. The Trump administration has been in an ongoing showdown with academia, and Harvard in particular, demanding it provide a list of students that the government is interested in—something the prestigious university has declined to do. 'I don't know why Harvard's not giving us the list. There's something going on because Harvard is not giving us a list,' Trump said Friday. 'They ought to give us a list and get themselves out of trouble,' he insisted, suggesting that 'they don't want to give the list because they have names on there that supposedly are quite bad.' At graduation ceremonies this week, Harvard University President Alan Garber received a one-minute standing ovation when he called for universities to stand 'firm' in the war the Trump administration has waged against students and schools. 'We want people that can love our country and take care of our country and cherish our country,' Trump said Friday. International students on average make up just under six percent of the US university population—far below Britain, the second top destination for international students, where the figure is 25 percent.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
US to begin ‘aggressively' revoking visas of Chinese students
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the US 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. Advertisement 'Under President Trump's leadership, the US 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,' Mr Rubio wrote. The action comes at a time of intensifying scrutiny of the ties between US higher education and China. Republicans in the House of Representatives 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 defence funding was going to research partnerships linked to the Chinese government, providing 'backdoor 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 'co-ordinating 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. Advertisement US secretary of state Marco Rubio revealed the plans (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) The announcement came a day after Mr 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 Mr Trump's administration. Earlier this year, US 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 US. University of Wisconsin student Vladyslav Plyaka was planning to visit Poland to see his mother and renew his visa, but he does not know when that will be possible now that visa appointments are suspended. He also does not feel safe leaving the US even when appointments resume. Advertisement 'I don't think I have enough trust in the system at this point,' said Mr Plyaka, who came to the US 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. Mr Trump said 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,' Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Advertisement The action on Chinese students renews a priority from Mr 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, Mr 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 US universities and found that they underreported money flowing from China, Russia and other countries described as foreign adversaries. Donald Trump's first administration made it a priority to clamp down on academic ties between the United States and China (PA) Hours before Mr Rubio announced the change, Eastern Michigan University announced it was ending engineering partnerships with two Chinese universities, responding to Republican pressure representative John Moolenaar, the Republican chairman 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. Advertisement 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. In his announcement on China, Mr Rubio said the government will also '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 additional vetting will deter students from coming to the US, said Jonathan Friedman of Pen America, a literary and free expression organisation. 'The details remain vague, but this policy risks upending the long-standing place of the US as a beacon for intellectual and cultural exchange with the world,' Mr Friedman said. The move to cut off international enrolment 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, Mr Trump said more scrutiny of Harvard's students is necessary. 'They're taking people from areas of the world that are very radicalised, and we don't want them making trouble in our country,' Mr Trump said. The Trump administration has cut over 2.6 billion dollars 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.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Beijing slams Trump's visa crackdown on Chinese students as ‘political and discriminatory'
BEIJING, May 29 — Mary Yang with Shaun Tandon in Washington and Gregory Walton in Cambridge, Massachusetts Beijing reacted in fury today at the US government's vow to revoke Chinese students' visas, condemning President Donald Trump's crackdown on international scholars as 'political and discriminatory'. Trump's administration on Wednesday said it would 'aggressively' remove permissions for Chinese students, one of the largest sources of revenue for American universities, in his latest broadside against US higher education. The US will also revise visa criteria to tighten checks on all future applications from China and Hong Kong, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Blasting the US for 'unreasonably' cancelling Chinese students' visas, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing had lodged its opposition with Washington. Rubio had upped the ante after China criticised 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. 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. Global uncertainty Beijing's Mao on Wednesday said that China urged the United States 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. On Wednesday, Rubio heaped pressure on China, saying Washington will 'aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. '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. But the slew of 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 programmes 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. — Reuters
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
US vows to ‘aggressively' oust Chinese students
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. 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.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration will "aggressively revoke" some Chinese students' visas, Rubio says
The federal government will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese international students, including those studying in "critical fields," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday — the latest restriction on foreign students. "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 in a statement. Rubio also said the government will "revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong." China is the second-largest country of origin for international students, 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. 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 announcement came a day after the State Department told embassies and consulates worldwide to temporarily stop scheduling new student visa interviews, in a cable obtained by CBS News. The cable said the department is preparing "expanded social media vetting" of visa applicants. The two policy changes from the State Department added to uncertainty for America's international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from the Trump administration. The government has attempted to revoke legal status for thousands of international students, many of whom appeared to draw federal scrutiny due to minor legal infractions — though a federal judge has halted that practice. And the administration has sought to deport several pro-Palestinian student activists under a law allowing visas to be revoked if somebody poses "adverse foreign policy consequences." Earlier this week, the Trump administration tried to halt all international student enrollments at Harvard University. A judge blocked the move, part of a wider battle between the government and the Ivy League school over its handling of campus protests. President Trump said Wednesday that Harvard, whose current student population is more than 25% international, should limit that percentage to about 15%. "I want to make sure the foreign students are people that can love our country," Mr. Trump said.
