Rubio made the shock move in a post on X, and there was a State Department statement titled “New Visa Policies Put America First, Not China.”
The US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security will collaborate under President Trump’s leadership to aggressively revoke Chinese student visas, including those studying in important fields or having connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
We will also update the visa requirements in order to make sure all pending applications to China and Hong Kong’s People’s Republic are examined,” it continued.
China is the second-largest country of origin for foreign students studying in the US, trailing only India. More than 270, 000 Chinese students accounted for a quarter of all foreign students in the US between the years 2023 and 2024.
Following President Donald Trump’s claim that China was a victim of US trade war upon his return to the White House, there is now growing tension between Washington and Beijing.
Establishing ties between US and Chinese academic institutions are also deemed a threat to national security by US House Republicans. Over concerns about the transfer of technology, Michigan congressmen John Moolenaar and Tim Walberg pressed Duke University to end its relationship with Wuhan University earlier this month.
According to Moolenaar and Walberg, the partnership opened a “direct link” between US innovation and Chinese military-industrial complex.
Rubio’s announcement on Wednesday also heightened the level of uncertainty for foreign students studying in the US, who have recently come under increased scrutiny as a result of the administration’s wider assault on higher education institutions.
The White House also temporarily suspended the processing of visas for foreign students on Tuesday, ordering embassies and consulates to hold off on granting any additional student or exchange visas “until further guidance is issued.”
Additionally, the State Department stated that it intends to “issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applications.”
The administration also reversed Harvard University’s consent to enroll international students last week. The White House and Harvard have fought over the school’s handling of pro-Palestine protests and diversity programs, and a federal judge has temporarily halted the move.
This is in addition to Rubio and the State Department’s latest attempt to revoke hundreds of education visas for alleged minor legal offenses, political advocacy, or incendiary speech, in which Rubio and the State Department have sought to do so.
Students who took part in pro-Palestine protests that erupted on campuses across the US to protest Israel’s occupation of Gaza are frequently the targets of visa revocations and arrests.
Others are people who have shown support for the Palestinian cause on social media or have had indirect ties to Palestine.
Source: Aljazeera
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