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Opinion | Trump’s student visa rules have been rescinded, but the damage is done
- Cultural exchange has long been a core element of US diplomacy, and the business of educating the world is big business
- The ill-conceived policy ploy to deport students, though reversed, still puts a serious dent in the US’ reputation as a desirable place to study
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These are tough times for internationally minded people, and international students in particular. Chinese students, who are the largest national cohort of international students in the United States, bear a special burden since their home country and host country are increasingly at odds.
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The dislocation and distress caused by the pandemic are bad enough, but what is a Chinese student supposed to feel when the US president calls Covid-19 “kung flu” or a “Chinese virus”?
On July 6, the Trump White House shocked the world of higher education by threatening to deport international students – a large number of whom are already struggling with finances, emotional stress and strained logistics due to the pandemic – on a technicality that deemed online courses insufficient to maintain visa status.
But there was considerable pushback from universities across the country, and on Tuesday it was announced that the ill-conceived policy ploy had been rescinded.
The immediate and vocal reaction from universities such as Harvard and MIT was one factor in the White House’s reversal, as was the threat of legal action against the cruel and prejudicial policy move.
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But the Trump administration’s attempted move still created a great deal of anxiety and insecurity for students from abroad, whether they are already in the country or poised to arrive. Furthermore, this move, although rescinded under pressure, puts another serious dent in the US reputation as a desirable place to study.
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