'This Will Hurt Us As Much As It Hurts Them': Trump Admin Says It Will Revoke Visas of Chinese Students

The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that it is working with the Department of Homeland Security to "aggressively revoke" visas that have been issued to Chinese students—sparking a rebuke from China's government and anxiety among Chinese students.

The Trump administration is endeavoring to revoke visas for students that hail from China, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," according to a short statement from the State Department. "We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong."

The statement didn't offer further details about how the U.S. would go about revoking visas.

The announcement comes only a day after news of a cable signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, dated Tuesday, ordering a freeze on the scheduling of new visa interviews for international students while his department rolls out new guidance for expanded vetting of students' social media activity.

During the 2023-24 school year, over 277,000 international students were from China. They made up roughly a quarter of the total international students studying in the U.S. Students from China were the second-most numerous demographic of international students, after students from India, according to the Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange.

Kyle Chan, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University who focuses on industrial policy, clean technology, and infrastructure in China and India, referenced the hundreds of thousands of students from China studying in the U.S. and wrote on Wednesday, "Their intellectual, economic, and social contributions to this country are beyond measure."

"If we 'aggressively revoke' Chinese student visas, this will hurt us as much as it hurts them," he added.

The move has sparked anxiety among Chinese students studying in the U.S. and those who are preparing to come to the U.S. to study, according to multiple outlets.

A 27-year-old public policy master's student at the University of Chicago told The Associated Press that after graduating at the end of the year she had intended to take time off and participate in humanitarian aid programs outside of the U.S., but she is now rethinking that plan.

Zou Renge told the outlet she will not leave the U.S. and will instead look for jobs. "In a very uncertain environment, I'll try my best to find myself a solution," she said.

"It's pretty absurd. It doesn't seem like something that should happen these days. I scrolled social media and felt quite anxious seeing other people's reactions," said Chen, a 22-year-old who spoke to Reuters and preferred not to share her full name. Chen lives in the city Chengdu in China and has a postgraduate offer to study a humanities subject from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Speaking Thursday at a press conference, Mao Ning, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that "the U.S. decision to revoke Chinese student visas is fully unjustified."

"It seriously hurts the lawful rights and interests of international students from China, and disrupts people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. China firmly opposes it and has protested to the U.S. over the decision," she continued. "This politically motivated and discriminatory move exposes the U.S. hypocrisy over freedom and openness. It will further damage the image and reputation of the U.S. itself."

China has also criticized the Trump administration's recent decision to prohibit Harvard University from enrolling international students. Last week, a federal judge handed down a temporary restraining order, halting the Trump administration's ban on international students at Harvard while litigation proceeds.