Trump softens tone on Chinese students amid academic visa crackdown
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday sought to reassure Chinese international students amid growing fears over his administration’s tightening grip on academia, saying, “They’re going to be OK. It’s going to work out fine.”
Speaking to reporters late Friday, Trump emphasized that his government only wanted to “check out individual students,” in contrast to sweeping measures proposed earlier in the week targeting Chinese student visas.
The president’s remarks come on the heels of a tense standoff with American universities, particularly Harvard, which has resisted demands from the Trump administration to hand over a list of students allegedly under government scrutiny.
“I don’t know why Harvard’s not giving us the list,” Trump said. “They ought to give us a list and get themselves out of trouble.”
His comments followed a federal judge’s decision Thursday to extend a temporary block on the administration’s effort to prevent Harvard from enrolling certain international students.
Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a crackdown on Chinese students, pledging to “aggressively” revoke visas. Thousands have already been cancelled, many over student activism critical of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, while others were revoked for lesser infractions such as minor traffic violations.
Tensions between the Trump administration and U.S. universities have been escalating for months, with officials citing national security concerns. However, academic leaders argue the moves undermine educational freedom and global collaboration.
At Harvard’s graduation ceremony this week, university president Alan Garber drew a one-minute standing ovation when he urged institutions to “stand firm” against what he called a war on students and schools.
Despite Trump’s reassurances, his administration’s approach has stirred concern in academic circles. International students comprise just under six percent of the U.S. university population significantly lower than the U.K.’s 25 percent.
