Editorial | US shooting itself in foot with crackdown on overseas students
Ultimately, it is America that will lose out if it continues its harassment, and other places, including Hong Kong, will fill the gap by attracting the best and brightest
The unprecedented crackdown on international students and scholars in the US has had a dramatic impact, causing fear, uncertainty and disruption.
More than 4,700 students from overseas have had their legal status abruptly withdrawn as part of moves by Donald Trump’s administration to combat claimed threats to national security or public safety.
Over 1,200 have had their visas revoked. Those targeted suddenly found themselves facing deportation.
Some were accused of involvement in pro-Palestinian protests. Others had committed minor infractions of the law. Many were not given a reason at all.
The government agreed to stop revoking the legal status of students and to reinstate it for those affected after legal challenges were launched in several states. But it is a temporary reprieve.
New guidelines expand the grounds upon which a student’s legal status and right to remain in the US can be removed in future.
It remains to be seen how the court cases will play out. But the damage has already been done. Universities have warned their international students not to travel outside the US unless this is essential, fearing they might not be allowed back.