Trump Administration Targets Chinese Students in New Visa Crackdown

[Social Media]

 

Trump Administration Targets Chinese Students in New Visa Crackdown

 

In a significant escalation of U.S.-China tensions, the Trump administration has announced it will "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students currently studying in the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the policy would particularly target those with alleged connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those pursuing studies in what he described as “critical fields.”

 

This move comes amid a prolonged deterioration in relations between the two superpowers, driven by an intensifying trade war sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. As of last year, approximately 280,000 Chinese students were enrolled in American universities. However, it remains unclear how many of them could be directly impacted by this new visa policy.

 

China swiftly condemned the decision. A spokesperson from Beijing stated that the Chinese government “firmly opposes” the visa revocations and urged Washington to pursue “more constructive” diplomatic engagement. The response underlined growing concern in China about what is perceived as an increasingly hostile U.S. stance toward Chinese nationals abroad.

 

As part of the administration’s broader plan, the criteria for granting visas to Chinese and Hong Kong students will be revised to allow for more intense scrutiny, according to Rubio. “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,” Rubio said in a statement on Wednesday. “We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong.”

 

The decision comes amid a trend of decreasing Chinese enrollment in U.S. universities. A combination of factors has contributed to the decline, including restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and souring diplomatic relations. According to data from the U.S. State Department, Chinese nationals, once the largest group of international students in the country, are no longer dominating university enrollment figures as they once did.

 

Adding to the changes, Rubio also ordered all U.S. embassies globally to suspend the scheduling of student visa appointments. This temporary freeze is part of a broader effort to implement expanded vetting procedures, particularly regarding applicants’ social media activity. This layer of scrutiny is being introduced as part of what officials describe as a national security measure to prevent potential foreign interference and intellectual property theft.

 

China, which has long viewed educational exchange as a key component of its soft diplomacy, reacted with disappointment to the additional restrictions. Officials in Beijing see the move as part of a broader pattern of discrimination and unnecessary politicization of academic exchanges.

 

As the Trump administration continues to assert a hardline stance against perceived Chinese influence within U.S. institutions, this visa revocation campaign signals a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy toward a more confrontational posture—one that could have long-term implications for higher education, research collaboration, and international relations.

 

Related Topics:

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Harvard’s Shift: How Islamist Influence Took Root on Campus

Behind the Curtain: Harvard’s Quiet Courtship with Trump Before Its Bold Rejection

Harvard Becomes Resistance HQ in Trump’s Campus Culture War

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC  2025-05-30

 

 

[sharot724]

Timing is everything to most of us, exception is the Genuis. 

 

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/30/bessent-us-china-trade-talks-a-bit-stalled

 

 

[AustinRacing]

So thin-skinned. Go after Harvard for refusing his son and now Chinese students. 

[Jonnapat]

Well, who would believe that?

My bet is that China will eventually have the last laugh. 

They're far too cunning for trump.

[ronnie50]

The word 'petty' doesn't even come close to describing this dufus' action. Imagine if that was your kid half way through their studies, and how much you paid and how happy they were when they were accepted into the American university. This guy is President of the United States, FFS - and he maliciously attacks foreign kids studying in his country. Kick them out. Every day brings another unhinged decision from this lowlife. 

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, AustinRacing said:

So thin-skinned. Go after Harvard for refusing his son and now Chinese students. 

Trump biographer Micheal Wolf has suggested that the president has turned his ire on Harvard because he couldn’t get into the university. 

 

[NoDisplayName]

18 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Trump biographer Micheal Wolf has suggested that the president has turned his ire on Harvard because he couldn’t get into the university. 

 

The claim about Donald Trump's rejection from Harvard appears to be factually accurate. Multiple sources confirm that Trump was rejected by Harvard University in 1964, with a specific rejection letter stating "We cannot offer you admission to the Class of 1968" ^{[1] [1]}.

https://factually.co/fact-checks/politics/trump-harvard-rejection-facts-c47ffc

 

Seems Harvard wasn't in the business of selling draft dodging deferrals.

 

 

A White House spokesperson criticized USA TODAY Network questions about whether Trump applied to Harvard and answered with this statement:

"The President didn’t need to apply to an overrated, corrupt institution like Harvard to become a successful businessman and the most transformative President in history," spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2025/05/28/trump-college-harvard/83895973007/

 

Heck, Trump even started his own ejumacation store, which was quite successful!

 

Trump University was accused of fraud for misleading students about its educational offerings and the success of its real estate strategies. The New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit claiming it engaged in deceptive practices, leading to a settlement of $25 million in 2016.

 

 

And the winning never ends..............so much winning!

[riclag]

To all the leftest who despise, who have MAGA living rent free in they/ them’s brains.
 

China has been-on Maga’s mind way before the Goat POTUS, Trump.

Communist China has never never and will never be romanticized as Americana  as  long as Patriots continue  to run the USA.
Reagan an anti communist and the originator of Maga lives in the minds of all Capitalist loving Maga supporters.

 

Communist Chinese people and students are unfortunately a  ” certain group” that make Americans appreciate Maga more & more.

 

 

Wikipedia couldn’t resist to throw a negative slant to American Exceptionalism below in the quote.

 

 

 

“Originally used by Ronald Reagan as a campaign slogan in his 1980 presidential campaign (Let's Make America Great Again), it has since been described as a loaded phrase. It has been described as a slogan representing American exceptionalism and promoting an idealistic or romanticized American past that excludes certain groups.[3] Multiple scholars, journalists, and commentators have called the slogan racist, regarding it as dog-whistle politics and coded language”.

 

 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_America_Great_Again

[thaipo7]

10 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

So thin-skinned. Go after Harvard for refusing his son and now Chinese students. 

You always around when not need to support the Marxist Democrats narratives.   Why would Barron apply at Harvard when it is being run by Communists.

 

No, Barron Trump did not apply to Harvard, and any claims that he was rejected are false. His mother, Melania Trump, confirmed that he never sought admission to the university.

[NoDisplayName]

38 minutes ago, thaipo7 said:

No, Barron Trump did not apply to Harvard, and any claims that he was rejected are false. His mother, Melania Trump, confirmed that he never sought admission to the university.

 

Well, if the firstest lady says it, then it must be true.

Oh, wait..........

 

"BUSTED: Melania Trump Lied Under Oath in 2013 About Graduating From College With a ‘Bachelor’s in Architecture.’"

 

 

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/feb/20/blog-posting/claim-about-melania-trump-touting-false-credential/

 

And we'll trust Dr. Jill when she claims Joe is sharp as a tack, right?

[AustinRacing]

12 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

You always around when not need to support the Marxist Democrats narratives.   Why would Barron apply at Harvard when it is being run by Communists.

 

No, Barron Trump did not apply to Harvard, and any claims that he was rejected are false. His mother, Melania Trump, confirmed that he never sought admission to the university.

Don’t make sense. He did so did his dad years ago. Run by communists? 

[stevenl]

4 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

Don’t make sense. He did so did his dad years ago. Run by communists? 

Yes, Anyone that doesn't agree with trump is a Marxist communist or socialist. And of course a traitor to the US 

[AustinRacing]

53 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Yes, Anyone that doesn't agree with trump is a Marxist communist or socialist. And of course a traitor to the US 

You can’t be taken seriously with this mentality. Throwing labels at people may make you feel better but just don’t make sense. Traitor lol😂😂😂

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, AustinRacing said:

You can’t be taken seriously with this mentality. Throwing labels at people may make you feel better but just don’t make sense. Traitor lol😂😂😂

Unfortunately my comment says exactly what the maga's are telling us here, time and time again.

 

See e.g. this thread,