President Donald Trump has sought to calm rising concern among Chinese students in the United States, saying they “will be fine” despite his administration’s new push to tighten visa rules for international students.
The reassurance came during a press conference late Friday, days after officials announced plans to more closely examine Chinese students studying at American universities. The move is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to scrutinize academia and the role of foreign nationals within it.
Trump said the government’s main goal is to check the background of individual students, adding that this applies to colleges across the board. He insisted there was no intent to target Chinese students unfairly, stating, “It’s going to work out fine.”
Earlier in the week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had taken a tougher line. Rubio pledged to aggressively revoke student visas, particularly those held by Chinese nationals. Thousands of students have reportedly already lost their visas, not only for political reasons but also due to what officials described as minor violations, including traffic offenses.
The crackdown has sparked pushback from leading universities, including Harvard. The administration has requested a list of certain students the government is interested in, but Harvard has refused to comply. Trump criticized the university on Friday, accusing it of withholding the names of students who might pose security concerns. “They ought to give us a list and get themselves out of trouble,” he said.
Tensions between the federal government and higher education institutions have escalated in recent months. The administration’s demand for more oversight has clashed with universities’ efforts to protect student privacy and academic freedom.
On Thursday, a federal judge extended a temporary block on Trump’s attempt to bar Harvard from enrolling international students, offering a win to the university as it continues to resist federal pressure.
At a graduation ceremony earlier this week, Harvard president Alan Garber received strong applause when he called on institutions to stay firm in the face of what he described as a political assault on students and education. His comments reflect growing concern among educators about the future of academic openness and the treatment of foreign students.
Chinese nationals make up a significant portion of international students in the US, a group that accounts for just under six percent of the total university population. This is far lower than in countries like the UK, where international students make up around a quarter of the student body.
As debates over immigration, education, and national security continue, Chinese students in the US find themselves caught in the middle — facing an uncertain future but reassured, at least in words, by the president that they will be allowed to stay and study.