The Trump administration will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday in another blow to international students and higher education institutions across the United States.
The top US diplomat said the State Department would work with the Department of Homeland Security on the revocations, which will target Chinese students, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”
“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.
Rubio’s comments come as the administration takes steps that could deter international students from studying at universities in the United States. CNN reported Tuesday that the State Department has ordered embassies to pause new student visa appointments as it moves to expand social media vetting, and last week, the Trump administration revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students. A federal judge later halted the move. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the administration is “absolutely” considering targeting other universities.
More than 275,000 students from China studied in the US in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to a report from the Institute for International Education (IIE) and the State Department. It sent the second most students from abroad of any country, trailing behind only India.
Many US institutions rely on international students for tuition and some participate in research and innovation work.
CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
