U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday sought to reassure Chinese international students studying in the United States, amid growing concern over his administration’s tightening policies on foreign students in higher education.
“They’re going to be okay. It’s going to work out fine,” Trump told reporters when asked about the message he had for Chinese students. “We just want to check out the individual students we have. And that’s true with all colleges.”
His remarks come in the wake of new measures introduced by his administration this week aimed at scrutinizing Chinese student visas more closely, as part of a broader push targeting U.S. academic institutions.
The softer tone followed a federal judge’s decision on Thursday to extend a temporary block on the administration’s attempt to prevent Harvard University from enrolling international students.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the U.S. would continue to “aggressively” revoke visas for Chinese nationals. Thousands have reportedly had their visas canceled, some due to political activism related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, while others have been penalized for relatively minor offenses, including traffic violations.
The Trump administration has also clashed with Harvard directly, demanding that the university hand over a list of certain students. Harvard has refused, citing privacy concerns and a lack of justification.
“I don’t know why Harvard’s not giving us the list,” Trump said. “There’s something going on because Harvard is not giving us a list. They ought to give us a list and get themselves out of trouble.”
He further alleged that Harvard might be protecting individuals “with names that are quite bad.”
In a show of resistance, Harvard University President Alan Garber received a standing ovation during this week’s graduation ceremonies after calling on universities to stand firm in the face of what he described as the administration’s ongoing “war” on students and academic institutions.
“We want people that can love our country and take care of our country and cherish our country,” Trump added.
Currently, international students make up less than six percent of the total student population in the U.S., a stark contrast to the United Kingdom, where they represent about 25 percent.