Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the Trump administration has plans to revoke the visas of some Chinese international students studying in the United States. This decision could affect some of the roughly 277,000 Chinese international students studying in the United States as of the 2023-2024 academic year.
According to Rubio, The Department of State will partner with the Department of Homeland Security “to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”
The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on international students studying in the United States. On May 22, the Trump administration briefly revoked Harvard University from enrolling its international students, but a federal judge put a hold on the ban on May 23 which was extended on Thursday.
While it is unclear exactly how many international Chinese students Cornell enrolls, 26 percent of the student population is made up of international students who could be impacted.
A University spokesperson said that the administration is “aware of recent news reports regarding adjustments to U.S. embassy and consulate operations, as well as the statement issued by the U.S. State Department” and that they are “monitoring the situation closely.”
The University spokesperson also stated that they are providing and updating “guidance to current and incoming students on the International Services website.
According to Cornell’s website, international students that do not currently have a visa appointment should “schedule an appointment as soon as one becomes available.” In addition, it states that students “will not be able to schedule a visa appointment until new vetting procedures are in place.”
However, when asked directly about if Cornell plans to comply or resist the plans, the University did not provide a comment.
In addition to the revoking of visas, the Trump administration intends to increase the review of all international students’ activity on social media and has paused the future scheduling of visa interviews for international students at U.S. embassies.
Zeinab Faraj is the assistant sports editor on the 143rd editorial board and a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
