Latest news with #anti-Americanism
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Contributor: Once, international students feared Beijing's wrath. Now Trump is the threat
American universities have long feared that the Chinese government will restrict its country's students from attending institutions that cross Beijing's sensitive political lines. Universities still fear that consequence today, but the most immediate threat is no longer posed by the Chinese government. Now, as the latest punishment meted out to the Trump administration's preeminent academic scapegoat shows, it's our own government posing the threat. In a May 22 letter, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced she revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, meaning the university's thousands of international students must transfer immediately or lose their legal status. Harvard can no longer enroll future international students either. Noem cited Harvard's failure to hand over international student disciplinary records in response to a prior letter and, disturbingly, the Trump administration's desire to 'root out the evils of anti-Americanism' on campus. Among the most alarming demands in this latest missive was that Harvard supply all video of 'any protest activity' by any international student within the last five years. Harvard immediately sued Noem and her department and other agencies, rightfully calling the revocation 'a blatant violation of the First Amendment,' and within hours a judge issued a temporary restraining order against the revocation. 'Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,' Noem wrote on X about the punishment. And on Tuesday, the administration halted interviews for all new student visas. This is not how a free country treats its schools — or the international visitors who attend them. Noem's warning will, no doubt, be heard loud and clear. That's because universities — which depend on international students' tuition dollars — have already had reason to worry that they will lose access to international students for displeasing censorial government officials. In 2010, Beijing revoked recognition of the University of Calgary's accreditation in China, meaning Chinese students at the Canadian school suddenly risked paying for a degree worth little at home. The reason? The university's granting of an honorary degree to the Dalai Lama the year before. 'We have offended our Chinese partners by the very fact of bringing in the Dalai Lama, and we have work to resolve that issue,' a spokesperson said. Beijing restored recognition over a year later, but many Chinese students had already left. Damage done. Similarly, when UC San Diego hosted the Dalai Lama as commencement speaker in 2017, punishment followed. The China Scholarship Council suspended funding for academics intending to study at UCSD, and an article in the state media outlet Global Times recommended that Chinese authorities 'not recognize diplomas or degree certificates issued by the university.' This kind of direct punishment doesn't happen very frequently. But the threat always exists, and it creates fear that administrators take into account when deciding how their universities operate. American universities now must fear that they will suffer this penalty too, but at an even greater scale: revocation of access not just to students from China, but all international students. That's a huge potential loss. At Harvard, for example, international students make up a whopping 27% of total enrollment. Whether they publicly acknowledge it or not, university leaders probably are considering whether they need to adjust their behavior to avoid seeing international student tuition funds dry up. Will our colleges and universities increase censorship and surveillance of international students? Avoid inviting commencement speakers disfavored by the Trump administration? Pressure academic departments against hiring any professors whose social media comments or areas of research will catch the eye of mercurial government officials? And, equally disturbing, will they be willing to admit that they are now making these calculations at all? Unlike direct punishments by the Trump administration or Beijing, this chilling effect is likely to be largely invisible. Harvard might be able to survive without international students' tuition. But a vast number of other universities could not. The nation as a whole would feel their loss too: In the 2023-24 academic year, international students contributed a record-breaking $43.8 billion to the American economy. And these students — who have uprooted their lives for the promise of what American education offers — are the ones who will suffer the most, as they experience weeks or months of panic and upheaval while being used as pawns in this campaign to punish higher ed. If the Trump administration is seeking to root out 'anti-Americanism,' it can begin by surveying its own behavior in recent months. Freedom of expression is one of our country's most cherished values. Censorship, surveillance and punishment of government critics do not belong here. Sarah McLaughlin is senior scholar on global expression at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and author of the forthcoming book 'Authoritarians in the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education and Borderless Censorship Threaten Free Speech.' If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Once, international students feared Beijing's wrath. Now Trump is the threat
American universities have long feared that the Chinese government will restrict its country's students from attending institutions that cross Beijing's sensitive political lines. Universities still fear that consequence today, but the most immediate threat is no longer posed by the Chinese government. Now, as the latest punishment meted out to the Trump administration's preeminent academic scapegoat shows, it's our own government posing the threat. In a May 22 letter, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced she revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, meaning the university's thousands of international students must transfer immediately or lose their legal status. Harvard can no longer enroll future international students either. Noem cited Harvard's failure to hand over international student disciplinary records in response to a prior letter and, disturbingly, the Trump administration's desire to 'root out the evils of anti-Americanism' on campus. Among the most alarming demands in this latest missive was that Harvard supply all video of 'any protest activity' by any international student within the last five years. Harvard immediately sued Noem and her department and other agencies, rightfully calling the revocation 'a blatant violation of the First Amendment,' and within hours a judge issued a temporary restraining order against the revocation. 'Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,' Noem wrote on X about the punishment. And on Tuesday, the administration halted interviews for all new student visas. This is not how a free country treats its schools — or the international visitors who attend them. Noem's warning will, no doubt, be heard loud and clear. That's because universities — which depend on international students' tuition dollars — have already had reason to worry that they will lose access to international students for displeasing censorial government officials. In 2010, Beijing revoked recognition of the University of Calgary's accreditation in China, meaning Chinese students at the Canadian school suddenly risked paying for a degree worth little at home. The reason? The university's granting of an honorary degree to the Dalai Lama the year before. 'We have offended our Chinese partners by the very fact of bringing in the Dalai Lama, and we have work to resolve that issue,' a spokesperson said. Beijing restored recognition over a year later, but many Chinese students had already left. Damage done. Similarly, when UC San Diego hosted the Dalai Lama as commencement speaker in 2017, punishment followed. The China Scholarship Council suspended funding for academics intending to study at UCSD, and an article in the state media outlet Global Times recommended that Chinese authorities 'not recognize diplomas or degree certificates issued by the university.' This kind of direct punishment doesn't happen very frequently. But the threat always exists, and it creates fear that administrators take into account when deciding how their universities operate. American universities now must fear that they will suffer this penalty too, but at an even greater scale: revocation of access not just to students from China, but all international students. That's a huge potential loss. At Harvard, for example, international students make up a whopping 27% of total enrollment. Whether they publicly acknowledge it or not, university leaders probably are considering whether they need to adjust their behavior to avoid seeing international student tuition funds dry up. Will our colleges and universities increase censorship and surveillance of international students? Avoid inviting commencement speakers disfavored by the Trump administration? Pressure academic departments against hiring any professors whose social media comments or areas of research will catch the eye of mercurial government officials? And, equally disturbing, will they be willing to admit that they are now making these calculations at all? Unlike direct punishments by the Trump administration or Beijing, this chilling effect is likely to be largely invisible. Harvard might be able to survive without international students' tuition. But a vast number of other universities could not. The nation as a whole would feel their loss too: In the 2023-24 academic year, international students contributed a record-breaking $43.8 billion to the American economy. And these students — who have uprooted their lives for the promise of what American education offers — are the ones who will suffer the most, as they experience weeks or months of panic and upheaval while being used as pawns in this campaign to punish higher ed. If the Trump administration is seeking to root out 'anti-Americanism,' it can begin by surveying its own behavior in recent months. Freedom of expression is one of our country's most cherished values. Censorship, surveillance and punishment of government critics do not belong here. Sarah McLaughlin is senior scholar on global expression at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and author of the forthcoming book 'Authoritarians in the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education and Borderless Censorship Threaten Free Speech.'
Sky News AU
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Madness': Stephen Miller savagely slams ‘Marxist judges' for blocking Trump
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has hit out at 'Marxist judges' attempting to block US President Donald Trump. On Saturday, a US judge blocked the Trump administration from barring foreign students from Harvard. US District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked the Trump administration, saying Harvard would sustain 'immediate and irreparable injury'. Miller has hit out at the judge, saying it was 'judicial tyranny' and a 'judicial coup by Marxist judges'. 'We… have a toxic stew of extreme antisemitism, anti-Americanism, Marxism and communism on our college campuses." 'Aided and abetted by foreign nationals imported into this country, spreading American hate, on our soil, on our college campuses." 'Now in a matter of hours… a communist district court judge says that foreign nationals, living in foreign countries, have a constitutional right to study in America."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'This Is The Stuff Of Tyranny': Summers Shreds Trump Administration Over 'Vicious' Action
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers ripped the Trump administration for taking away Harvard's ability to enroll international students Thursday, declaring that the action is not consistent with the way democracies operate: 'This is the stuff of tyranny.' In an interview with 'Bloomberg: The China Show,' Summers, a professor and president emeritus at Harvard, said the university has a 'clear necessity' to resist the administration's latest punitive action. 'This is the stuff of tyranny,' he said. 'If an institution like Harvard with a $52 billion endowment, with the staggering of network of alumni that we have, if it can't resist these kinds of movements towards tyranny, I don't know what other American institutions will be able to do that.' Summers said the step pursued by the administration was 'vicious,' adding that it's not reflective of how democracies like the U.S. should operate. 'If I had been a member of an administration where such unlawful orders had come from the White House, I would have resigned immediately,' Summers added. While Summers said there are necessary reforms for Harvard to make, punishing foreign students is not the appropriate way to address any potential issues the administration has with the institution. The 'United States won World War II because of people who came to be at American universities,' he told Bloomberg. 'Why is cutting off that kind of interchange sensible for our economy or for our national security?' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday wrote to Harvard, announcing that her department was revoking the university's Student and Exchange Visit Program, barring it from enrolling foreign students, which currently make up about over a quarter of its student body, starting this upcoming academic year. Noem said current international students would have to transfer to another university to retain their visas. 'Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump Administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism in society and campuses,' she wrote. Less than 24 hours later, Harvard filed a lawsuit on Friday, challenging the action as unconstitutional. This 'imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams,' its president, Alan Gerber, wrote. The move would significantly impact Harvard's bottom line and also have other far-reaching effects, including potentially decimating its sports teams. The Ivy League school was already entangled in a legal battle with the White House over federal funding cuts. The administration recently cut $450 million in grants for the university after slashing over $2 billion in federal funding Harvard expected to received, while President Donald Trump has also said he will revoke its tax-exempt status. Since his reelection, Trump has waged war on institutions across the country, including elite universities, under the pretext of fighting antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Summers said the government's punishment of Harvard could deter foreign students from pursuing an education in the U.S., calling it a 'devastating, self-inflicted wound.' 'I think we are doing our very best as a country to help British higher education, Australian higher education, New Zealand higher education,' he said. Still, Noem seemed unfazed by such concerns, noting that Thursday's action was only the beginning. 'This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together,' she told Fox News. Harvard Sues The Trump Administration Over Ban On Enrolling Foreign Students Trump's Harvard Visa Threat Could Wipe Out School's Sports Teams Trump Administration Bars Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'This Is The Stuff Of Tyranny': Summers Shreds Trump Administration Over 'Vicious' Action
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers ripped the Trump administration for taking away Harvard's ability to enroll international students Thursday, declaring that the action is not consistent with the way democracies operate: 'This is the stuff of tyranny.' In an interview with 'Bloomberg: The China Show,' Summers, a professor and president emeritus at Harvard, said the university has a 'clear necessity' to resist the administration's latest punitive action. 'This is the stuff of tyranny,' he said. 'If an institution like Harvard with a $52 billion endowment, with the staggering of network of alumni that we have, if it can't resist these kinds of movements towards tyranny, I don't know what other American institutions will be able to do that.' Summers said the step pursued by the administration was 'vicious,' adding that it's not reflective of how democracies like the U.S. should operate. 'If I had been a member of an administration where such unlawful orders had come from the White House, I would have resigned immediately,' Summers added. While Summers said there are necessary reforms for Harvard to make, punishing foreign students is not the appropriate way to address any potential issues the administration has with the institution. The 'United States won World War II because of people who came to be at American universities,' he told Bloomberg. 'Why is cutting off that kind of interchange sensible for our economy or for our national security?' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday wrote to Harvard, announcing that her department was revoking the university's Student and Exchange Visit Program, barring it from enrolling foreign students, which currently make up about over a quarter of its student body, starting this upcoming academic year. Noem said current international students would have to transfer to another university to retain their visas. 'Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump Administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism in society and campuses,' she wrote. Less than 24 hours later, Harvard filed a lawsuit on Friday, challenging the action as unconstitutional. This 'imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams,' its president, Alan Gerber, wrote. The move would significantly impact Harvard's bottom line and also have other far-reaching effects, including potentially decimating its sports teams. The Ivy League school was already entangled in a legal battle with the White House over federal funding cuts. The administration recently cut $450 million in grants for the university after slashing over $2 billion in federal funding Harvard expected to received, while President Donald Trump has also said he will revoke its tax-exempt status. Since his reelection, Trump has waged war on institutions across the country, including elite universities, under the pretext of fighting antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Summers said the government's punishment of Harvard could deter foreign students from pursuing an education in the U.S., calling it a 'devastating, self-inflicted wound.' 'I think we are doing our very best as a country to help British higher education, Australian higher education, New Zealand higher education,' he said. Still, Noem seemed unfazed by such concerns, noting that Thursday's action was only the beginning. 'This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together,' she told Fox News. Harvard Sues The Trump Administration Over Ban On Enrolling Foreign Students Trump's Harvard Visa Threat Could Wipe Out School's Sports Teams Trump Administration Bars Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students
