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President Donald Trump has attempted to reassure Chinese students studying in the United States, stating they “will be ok” despite his administration’s intensified scrutiny of international students in higher education.
Speaking to reporters late Friday, Trump struck a softer tone than earlier in the week when his administration announced plans to tighten regulations affecting Chinese students. “It’s going to work out fine,” he said, adding that the government only wanted to assess “individual students” at universities across the country.
His comments followed a court decision on Thursday to uphold a temporary block on his administration’s attempt to stop Harvard University from admitting international students. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Wednesday that the government would continue to “aggressively” revoke visas for Chinese students. These actions, Rubio said, were prompted by a combination of political activism — especially in relation to criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza — and minor legal infractions such as traffic violations.
The Trump administration has been locked in a prolonged conflict with academic institutions, especially Harvard, which has resisted requests to hand over a list of students reportedly under government scrutiny. “There’s something going on because Harvard is not giving us a list,” Trump alleged, suggesting that some of the names on it could be “quite bad.” He insisted the university should comply to avoid “trouble.”
During recent commencement ceremonies, Harvard President Alan Garber received a standing ovation for urging universities to remain resolute in the face of what he called an aggressive stance from the Trump administration toward students and academic freedom.
Trump ended his remarks by affirming that the U.S. welcomes people who “love, take care of, and cherish” the country.
Chinese students represent a small fraction of the total student population in U.S. universities, making up just under six percent — significantly lower than the 25 percent international student share in UK universities.
