US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s administration will revoke visas of Chinese students tied to the Chinese Communist Party or enrolled in sensitive academic fields vital to national security.
The Trump administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hardline immigration agenda.
Move To Target Students From China, Hong Kong
In a statement, Rubio said the department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong.
“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’s statement, published on May 28 (local time) read.
“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” he said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US-China Trade War
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 number of Chinese international students in the United States has dropped to about 277,000 in 2024 from a high of around 370,000 in 2019, driven partly by growing tension between the world’s two biggest economies and heightened US government scrutiny of some Chinese students.
Foreign Students Visa Application Halted
On Tuesday, Reuters reported the US 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 its wide-ranging efforts to fulfill his hardline immigration agenda.
(With inputs from Reuters)
