Foreign Students Under Trump

Introduction to the Issue

To attract the brightest minds to America, President Donald Trump proposed a novel idea while campaigning: If elected, he would grant green cards to all foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “It’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools,” Trump said during a podcast interview last June. “That is going to end on Day One.”

Shift in Policy

That promise never came to pass. Trump’s stance on welcoming foreign students has shifted dramatically. International students have found themselves at the center of an escalating campaign to kick them out or keep them from coming as his administration merges a crackdown on immigration with an effort to reshape higher education.

Policies and Their Impact

An avalanche of policies from the Trump administration — such as terminating students’ ability to study in the U.S., halting all new student visa interviews, moving to block foreign enrollment at Harvard — have triggered lawsuits, countersuits, and confusion for international students who say they feel targeted on multiple fronts.

Student Experiences

In interviews, students from around the world described how it feels to be an international student today in America. Their accounts highlight pervasive feelings of fear, anxiety, and insecurity that have made them more cautious in their daily lives, distracted them from schoolwork, and prompted many to cancel trips home because they fear not being allowed to return.

A Standout Student from Latvia Feels ‘Expendable’

Markuss Saule, a freshman at Brigham Young University-Idaho, took a recent trip home to Latvia and spent the entire flight back to the U.S. in a state of panic. For hours, he scrubbed his phone, uninstalling all social media, deleting anything that touched on politics or could be construed as anti-Trump. “That whole 10-hour flight, where I was debating, ‘Will they let me in?’ — it definitely killed me a little bit,” said Saule, a business analytics major. “It was terrifying.”

Saule is the type of international student the U.S. has coveted. As a high schooler in Latvia, he qualified for a competitive, merit-based exchange program funded by the U.S. State Department. He spent a year of high school in Minnesota, falling in love with America and a classmate who is now his fiancee. He just ended his freshman year in college with a 4.0 GPA.

From Dreaming of Working at NASA to ‘Doomscrolling’ Job Listings in India

A concern for attracting the world’s top students was raised in the interview Trump gave last June on the podcast “All-In.” Can you promise, Trump was asked, to give companies more ability “to import the best and brightest” students? “I do promise,” Trump answered. Green cards, he said, would be handed out with diplomas to any foreign student who gets a college or graduate degree.

Had Trump followed through with that pledge, a 24-year-old Indian physics major named Avi would not be afraid of losing everything he has worked toward. After six years in Arizona, where Avi attended college and is now working as an engineer, the U.S. feels like a second home. He dreams of working at NASA or in a national lab and staying in America where he has several relatives.

A Ukrainian Chose College in America Over Joining the Fight at Home — for Now

Vladyslav Plyaka came to the U.S. from Ukraine as an exchange student in high school. As war broke out at home, he stayed to attend the University of Wisconsin. He was planning to visit Poland to see his mother but if he leaves the U.S., he would need to reapply for a visa. He doesn’t know when that will be possible now that visa appointments are suspended, and he doesn’t feel safe leaving the country anyway.

Conclusion

The experiences of Markuss, Avi, and Vladyslav underscore the profound impact of Trump’s policies on international students. From feeling expendable and fearing deportation to having their dreams of working in the U.S. threatened, these students represent a broader community facing unprecedented uncertainty. As the U.S. navigates its stance on immigration and international education, the stories! of these students serve as a reminder of the human impact of policy decisions.

FAQs

• Q: What was Trump’s initial proposal regarding foreign students?
  • A: Trump proposed granting green cards to all foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges.
• Q: How have Trump’s policies affected international students?
  • A: Trump’s policies have triggered lawsuits, countersuits, and confusion, making students feel targeted, fearful, anxious, and insecure.
• Q: What are some of the specific policies affecting international students?
  • A: Policies include terminating students’ ability to study in the U.S., halting new student visa interviews, and moving to block foreign enrollment at certain universities.
• Q: How are international students responding to these policies?
  • A: Many are reconsidering their plans to stay in the U.S., feeling a sense of inferiority, and some are exploring opportunities in other countries.
• Q: What does the future hold for international students in the U.S.?
  • A: The future remains uncertain, with ongoing policy changes and legal challenges affecting their ability to study and work in the U.S.