Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that the Trump administration will “aggressively revoke visas” for Chinese students studying at U.S. universities.
The policy targets students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those enrolled in “critical fields,” though specific fields were not defined in the statement.
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In a post on X, Rubio stated that the U.S. State Department will collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security to implement the visa revocations.
Additionally, the administration plans to revise visa criteria to increase scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.
The announcement aligns with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to restrict student visas.
According to the Open Doors 2024 Report, approximately 277,398 Chinese students studied in the U.S. are the second-largest source of international students after India.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has opposed the move, with spokesperson Mao Ning calling it “unreasonable” and urging the U.S. to protect the rights of international students, including those from China. The policy’s scope and the number of students affected remain unclear.