Latest news with #USImmigration
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Book review: Chinese exclusion and mistreatment in 19th and 20th century America explored
The history of Chinese immigrants in America has always been about much more than one ethnic group. Advertisement As Michael Luo's Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America shows, understanding America's efforts to keep Chinese labourers out, and the violence enacted against those who got in, is essential to understanding the evolution of America's immigration system as we know it today. That is because restrictions against Chinese immigrants represented the first major flex in the modern era of the US federal government's power to control its borders. Chinese labourers were the first group to be barred from the entire country based on national origin, and lawsuits involving this group were often major tests of constitutional liberties – most notably the Supreme Court case of Wong Kim Ark in 1898, which established the right to birthright citizenship. Wong Kim Ark was born in California in 1873 to Chinese parents. After Wong was denied re-entry into the United States, the Supreme Court ruled that he was a US citizen by virtue of birth. Photo: SCMPost Time and time again, the treatment of this minority group served as a test of America's ability to live up to its own ideals of equality.
Japan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
U.S. to start 'aggressively' revoking visas for Chinese students
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday the United States will start "aggressively" revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. If applied to a broad segment of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese university students in the United States, the move could disrupt a major source of income for American schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hard-line immigration agenda. In a statement, Rubio said the State Department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong. "The U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students," he said. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China's Foreign Ministry previously vowed to "firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests" of its students overseas, following the Trump administration's move to revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, many of whom are Chinese. China is also at the epicenter of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fueled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas comes despite a recent pause in the U.S.-China trade dispute. International students — India and China together account for 54% of them — contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The business school campus at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Trump administration has cited Harvard University's ties to China as among several reasons for revoking its ability to enroll foreign students. | Reuters The State Department has broad authority to issue and revoke visas. The administration last week cited Harvard University's ties to China as among several reasons for revoking its ability to enroll foreign students, a move temporarily blocked by a U.S. judge. Rubio's statement did not offer details on how extensively the visa revocations would be applied. Even a relatively small number could disrupt the flow of Chinese students seeking out higher education in the U.S. that began in the late 1970s from Communist-governed China. Recent decades saw the United States become the destination of choice for many Chinese students looking for an alternative to China's intensely competitive university system and drawn to the strong reputation of U.S. schools. Those students typically come from wealthier families able to afford the high cost of U.S. universities. Many of those have stayed after graduating and have been credited with contributing to American research capacity and the U.S. workforce. The number of Chinese students in the U.S. dropped to about 277,000 in 2024, however, from a high of around 370,000 in 2019, pulled lower by growing tension between the world's two biggest economies, heightened U.S. government scrutiny of Chinese students, and the COVID-19 pandemic. As the U.S.-China geopolitical rivalry has escalated into what many analysts consider a new form of cold war, U.S. agencies and Congress have stepped up scrutiny of China's state-sponsored influence and technology transfers at American colleges and universities. Washington has become increasingly concerned that Beijing uses open and federally funded research environments in the U.S. to circumvent export controls and other national security laws. Greater scrutiny and uncertainty over visas has led more Chinese students to opt for schools in Europe, and more graduates now return to China to ply their trades. Yaqiu Wang, a U.S.-based human rights researcher who came to the U.S. from China as a student, said Beijing had indeed taken advantage of U.S. academic openness to engage in espionage and intellectual property theft, but called Rubio's announcement "deeply concerning." "Broad revocations and blanket bans would not only jeopardize the rights and livelihoods of Chinese students studying and working in the U.S., but also risk undermining America's long-standing position as the global leader in scientific innovation," she said. During Trump's first administration, then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo led a drive to rid U.S. university campuses of Chinese government-funded Confucius Institute cultural centers, saying they worked to advance China's "global propaganda and malign influence" and to recruit "spies and collaborators." As a result, many U.S. institutions cut ties with the centers. On Tuesday, it was reported that the U.S. Department of State had halted new appointments for all foreign student and exchange visitor visa applicants, according to an internal cable. The Trump administration has expanded social media vetting of foreign students and is seeking to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hard-line immigration agenda.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘Look at posts you've liked': Scary US truth
A US immigration lawyer has warned Aussies heading to the US to be 'aware and prepared' following a former NSW police officer's 'terrifying' ordeal. Andrea Szew, who has specialised in US immigration law for over 20 years, explained that tourists are now being subjected to heightened scrutiny from border officials at American airports following a crackdown under the Trump administration. 'They can look at who's posts you've liked, they can look at friends posts you have been tagged in – they can look at anything,' she told Nine News. The California-based lawyer said for Aussies to 'come, be aware, be prepared but don't be scared not to arrive'. There are claims some officers are emboldened by Trump's America-first policies, the publication reported, and if they suspect anything, immigration officials can search your phone or laptop. Nikki Saroukos claims she was a victim of this after being subjected to invasive searches, 'humiliating' treatment and a night in federal prison. The former NSW police officer was heading to Honolulu to visit her husband, a US Army lieutenant stationed in Hawaii, for three weeks with her mother. However, the moment she landed she says she was 'treated like a criminal'. She had her phone and luggage searched, was forced to spend a night behind bars despite having no criminal record and a valid ESTA visa, before being sent back to Australia. She claimed an officer told her she had 'too many clothes in her suitcase for a three and a half week trip'. Mrs Saroukos, from south-west Sydney, felt she was being racially profiled as officers allegedly questioned her tattoos. 'It sounds terrible that someone's subjective opinion can be that powerful to send you back on a flight all the way to Australia, but unfortunately it is a subjective decision,' Ms Szew told Nine News. Former cop detained, deported from US In an interview with Mrs Saroukos said she visited Hawaii three times in recent months under the ESTA visa waiver program to see her husband with no issues. But this time, when she and her mother arrived to Daniel K Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on May 18, the duo were heavily questioned. Her mother was eventually free to go but Mrs Saroukos was subjected to further interrogation. 'They questioned me about the demographic of my suburb and what crimes I was exposed to as a police officer,' she said. 'They were asking me about ice and meth and whether I knew how much was being imported from New Zealand.' She said she had 'know idea how to answer the questions'. 'I was just dumbfounded,' Ms Saroukos said. 'They took a 45-minute sworn statement where they grilled me on my stream of income, my marriage, my phone history. 'They were clutching at straws. They even asked why I had deleted Instagram three days prior, I was completely honest.' After hours of questioning, a DNA swab and a sworn statement, a supervisor informed her that her statement was deemed inadmissable and that she would not be entering the United States. Mrs Saroukos said she was handcuffed, subjected to an in-depth cavity search before being taken to a federal detention facility. Upon arriving at the prison she was fingerprinted again, ordered to strip naked, squat and cough, and handed prison issued briefs and green outerwear. Mrs Saroukos says she was taken to a shared cell where her roommate was a Fijian woman who was being held over similar circumstances. 'There were prisoners everywhere. I learned that I was being housed with convicted murderers,' she said. '(Other inmates) told me I looked like a fish out of water and even gave me soap and a towel.' Mrs Saroukos was eventually freed and driven back to the airport where she was deported back to Australia. She and her family have now hired an immigration lawyer in the US to probe what can be done about her ordeal. Travel advice for Aussies heading to the US As of May 6, the Department of Foreign Affairs has toughened its travel advice for the USA in response to the Trump administration's increasingly harsh border controls. While the overall rating of green to 'exercise normal safety precautions' has not changed, it has beefed up warnings about being detained at the border and requirements to carry identification while travelling within the country. 'Entry requirements are strict. US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissable for any reason under US law,' the government's Smartraveller site states. 'Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements. Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States.' It also warned that Aussies will now require a passport or United States-issued photo identification which meets the US Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) REAL ID requirements to board domestic flights in the United States.' Travel to the US drops Tourism Economics says foreign traveller arrivals in the US are expected to sharply decline this year. The travel data company revised its outlook after Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs announcement on April 2 — forecasting a 9.4 per cent decline in international visitor arrivals. Tourism Economics' report says decisions from the Trump Administration are creating a 'negative sentiment shift toward the US among travellers' — with Mr Trump's stance on border security and immigration one of the factors cited as discouraging visits. – with Ella McIlveen
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Record number of Americans seeking UK residency, says Home Office
During the 12 months leading up to March, more than 6,000 US citizens have applied to either become British subjects or to live and work in the country indefinitely – the highest number since comparable records began in 2004, according to data released on Thursday by the UK's Home Office. Over the period, 6,618 Americans applied for British citizenship – with more than 1,900 of the applications received between January and March, most of which has been during the beginning of Donald Trump's second US presidency. The surge in applications at the start of 2025 made that the highest number for any quarter on record. Related: 1.5m foreign workers already in UK could face longer wait for permanent settlement The figures come as British authorities under a Labour government are trying to reduce immigration to the UK, with Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, vowing to take 'back control of our borders' and warning that uncontrolled immigration could result in the country 'becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. UK figures show net migration dropped by almost half in 2024 – to 431,000 – compared with 2023. The surge in US applications for UK residency comes as American immigration lawyers say they are receiving an increasing number of inquiries. Some are pointing to the polarized political climate in the Trump-led country, which itself is mounting an aggressive immigration-related crackdown. Muhunthan Paramesvaran, an immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, told the New York Times that inquiries had risen 'in the immediate aftermath of the election and the various pronouncements that were made'. 'There's definitely been an uptick in inquiries from US nationals,' Paramesvaran told the outlet. 'People who were already here may have been thinking: 'I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don't want to go back to the US.'' Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, which specializes in US migration to the UK, was more explicit in pointing to the 'political landscape' amid Trump's government. Luchowa told the outlet that the rise was not limited to US nationals – but also other nationalities living there. 'The queries we're seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it's more about seeking to relocate,' Luchowa said to the Times. However, the increase in US applications to the UK may not necessarily reflect political conditions in either country. Of the 5,521 settlement applications from US citizens last year, most were from people who were eligible via spousal or family links. Paramesvaran said such applications were likely to climb because the UK government had extended the qualification period from five years to 10 before they could apply for settlement. But Labour government politicians have hinted that some applicants may be able to skirt those requirements. That echoes one aspect of Trump's thinking in the US, where he has floated the idea of an immigration 'gold card' – in essence, an extension of the EB-5 program that extends green cards to foreign investors and their families. The UK home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told parliament earlier in May that 'there will be provisions to qualify more swiftly that take account of the contribution people have made' and said the British government 'will introduce new, higher language requirements' because 'the ability to speak English is integral to everyone's ability to contribute and integrate'.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Record number of Americans are seeking residency in UK, according to Home Office
During the 12 months leading up to March, more than 6,000 US citizens have applied to either become British subjects or to live and work in the country indefinitely – the highest number since comparable records began in 2004, according to data released on Thursday by the UK's Home Office. Over the period, 6,618 Americans applied for British citizenship – with more than 1,900 of the applications received between January and March, most of which has been during the beginning of Donald Trump's second US presidency. The surge in applications at the start of 2025 made that the highest number for any quarter on record. The figures come as British authorities under a Labour government are trying to reduce immigration to the UK, with Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, vowing to take 'back control of our borders' and warning that uncontrolled immigration could result in the country 'becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together'. UK figures show net migration dropped by almost half in 2024 – to 431,000 – compared with 2023. The surge in US applications for UK residency comes as American immigration lawyers say they are receiving an increasing number of inquiries. Some are pointing to the polarized political climate in the Trump-led country, which itself is mounting an aggressive immigration-related crackdown. Muhunthan Paramesvaran, an immigration lawyer at Wilsons Solicitors in London, told the New York Times that inquiries had risen 'in the immediate aftermath of the election and the various pronouncements that were made'. 'There's definitely been an uptick in inquiries from US nationals,' Paramesvaran told the outlet. 'People who were already here may have been thinking, 'I want the option of dual citizenship in the event that I don't want to go back to the US.'' Zeena Luchowa, a partner at Laura Devine Immigration, which specializes in US migration to the UK, was more explicit in pointing to the 'political landscape' amid Trump's government. Luchowa told the outlet that the rise was not limited to US nationals – but also other nationalities living there. 'The queries we're seeing are not necessarily about British citizenship – it's more about seeking to relocate,' Luchowa said to the Times. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion However, the increase in US applications to the UK may not necessarily reflect political conditions in either country. Of the 5,521 settlement applications from US citizens last year, most were from people who are eligible via spousal or family links. Paramesvaran said such applications were likely to climb because the UK government had extended the qualification period from five years to 10 before they could apply for settlement. But Labour government politicians have hinted that some applicants may be able to skirt those requirements. That echoes one aspect of Trump's thinking in the US, where he has floated the idea of an immigration 'gold card', in essence an extension of the EB-5 program that extends green cards to foreign investors and their families. The UK home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told parliament earlier in May that 'there will be provisions to qualify more swiftly that take account of the contribution people have made' and said the British government 'will introduce new, higher language requirements' because 'the ability to speak English is integral to everyone's ability to contribute and integrate'.
