Trump administration freezes foreign student visas

Donald Trump has ordered his administration to stop issuing new visas to foreign students hoping to come to the US to study.

According to The New Arab citing Reuters on May 27th, the administration will stop scheduling new appointments for students and for exchange visitor visa applicants and the State Department will begin to expand social media vetting of foreign students.

The move comes finally after months of threats and in the wake of Trump unleashing consistent criticism against leading US universities such Harvard and Columbia.

Trump took to his own social media network “Truth Social” to question: “Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to.”

The news that the Trump administration was finally going to stop issuing new visas was announced in a cable release by US Secretary of State Marc Rubio, saying that: “The Department is conducting a review of existing operations and processes for screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor (F, M, J) visa applicants, and based on that review, plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants.”

Rubio has previously criticised US universities for harbouring anti-semitism, describing students involved in pro-Palestinian protests as “lunatics”  well as accusing foreign students of coming “not just to study but to participate in movements that vandalise universities, harass students, take over buildings and cause chaos.”

The administration has now said that any student visa and green card holders are subject to deportation over their support for Palestinians.

Criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza may also effect visa-status as the administration claims such actions are a threat to US foreign policy due to pro-Hamas connotations.

The New Arab/ Reuters/ Maghrebi