The United States has long been a favored destination for international students. Thanks to the President that of Donald Trump following the visa crackdown, they are now taking their talents and tuition elsewhere.
Tighter visa restrictions, stricter control and bottlenecks related to visa interviews and appointments contribute to what early data suggests There will be a sharp decline in international student enrollment nationally this fall. And that was before Trump raised Stephen Miller – the architect of his immigration program and his campaign against academia – to the chief of staff.
The limits on foreign students meet two administration goals: narrowing avenues for potential immigration and harming the bank accounts of academic institutions that conservatives have long criticized. Now, the policy changes, coupled with the administration’s “America First” rhetoric and sweeping immigration campaigns, are taking root, higher education leaders say.
“It’s great for the United States that they’re spending money here, learning about our culture and our country,” Michael Roth president of Wesleyan University, a private liberal arts school, said of international students. “To make things more difficult, in the name of some kind of nationalism, it seems like we are shooting ourselves in the foot just to see how good our boots are.”
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