#336 Chinese Student Visas; Alien Land Laws; U.S. leadership in Science and Innovation

In This Issue #336

·        Chinese Student Visa Revocations and Volatility

·        Latest Development on Alien Land Laws

·        National Academy of Sciences President Warns: “Course-Correct or Lose to China” 

·        News and Activities for the Communities; USCET Is Hiring

Chinese Student Visa Revocations and Volatility (Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Intern)

In 1854, Yung Wing 容闳 graduated from Yale, becoming the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university. Since then, international enrollment in American higher education has expanded dramatically. During the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 1.1 million international students studied in the U.S., contributing nearly $44 billion to the economy and generating 378,000 jobs. India and China together comprised 54% of international students in the U.S. China sent 277,398 students to the U.S., remaining the top-sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students. At New York University (NYU), international enrollment has increased 250% in the last decade.

International students in the U.S. can obtain either an F-1 visa or a J-1 visa. An F-1 visa allows noncitizens to enter the U.S. as full-time students and requires certain criteria to be met. A J-1 visa allows participation in approved exchange visitor programs for studying, research, training, or acquiring special skills. F-1 students may also be eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT), permitting them to remain in the country and work in a position relating to their degree for up to a year after graduation. Students in STEM fields are eligible for a two-year extension. If a student’s visa is revoked, they may still be able to legally remain in the country; however, if their legal status is revoked, they may be subject to detention and deportation.

In spring 2025, the Trump administration unleashed a harsh crackdown on international students in the U.S. as part of its broader strategy to rapidly reduce immigration. In March, federal immigration authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate and green-card holder, due to his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests last year, sparking outrage and confusion across the nation. Simultaneously, the House Select Committee on the CCP requested information from six U.S. universities regarding Chinese students and staff in STEM at the institutions. On June 11, a federal judge in New Jersey blocked the Trump administration from deporting Khalil on foreign policy grounds.

In April, the Trump administration began quietly stripping international students of their visas due to campus activism, criminal infractions, and even traffic violations. These charges were often long resolved or dropped. In response to visa revocations and deportation efforts, many international students across the country filed more than 100 lawsuits.

A judge in Georgia issued a temporary restraining order restoring the legal status of 133 students after a lawsuit filed by ACLU Georgia. Similar legal victories have occurred in Wisconsin, Oregon, Ohio, and Minnesota. Meanwhile, four ACLU offices filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of international students throughout New England and Puerto Rico, intending to stop ongoing detentions and deportation efforts. The Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) filed Chen v. Noem (4:25-cv-03292) in the Northern District of California. Similar legal battles (ongoing and resolved) are detailed in APA Justice Newsletters 328, 331, and 332.

After a nationwide injunction was ordered by the court, the Trump administration reversed its policy and restored thousands of international students’ F-1 registrations on or about April 25, 2025, after contributing to widespread anxiety, confusion, and chaos. During a hearing, the Department of Homeland Security admitted they used an FBI database to identify international students with criminal records, terminating hundreds of students’ records in less than 24 hours, suggesting little to no individual case review. One of the students targeted had a reckless driving charge that had long been dropped.

Read Inside Higher Ed’s article on this situation for more insight.  Inside Higher Ed’s coverage on this topic ended on April 24. 

On May 28, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department will begin “aggressively revoking” visas for Chinese international students, targeting those associated with the Chinese Communist Party and those working in critical fields. The State Department will also enhance scrutiny of future visa applications from China and Hong Kong. The Trump administration has halted all new student visa interviews to implement a thorough social media vetting process.

After Secretary of State Rubio’s announcement, organizations including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Advancing Justice | AAJC, the Asian American Scholar Forum, the Committee of 100, the U.S.-China Education Trust, and the 1990 Institute, as well as Rep. Judy Chu, Emeritus Chair of CAPAC, have issued statements condemning and criticizing the policy.

On June 6, a coalition of American scholars and experts on China co-signed a petition to urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reconsider and pause any implementation of the planned policy change pending further review, including consultation with key stakeholders both inside and outside the U.S. government. 

In addition to Chinese international students, the State Department is also doubling down on international students at Harvard and those under OPT. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem ordered the termination of Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, barring the university from enrolling international students and forcing existing international students to transfer or risk losing their legal status. On May 29, a federal court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction.  

In an amended lawsuit filed on June 5, Harvard challenged President Trump’s latest move to bar foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend the college, calling it illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands and attempting an end-run around the previous court order. On the same day, the State Department directed consulates around the world to stop processing visa applications for students planning to attend Harvard – less than an hour before a federal court in Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order to Harvard, ruling that Trump's directive would cause "immediate and irreparable injury" before the courts have a chance to review the case.  According to the Washington Post, the State Department reversed its guidance on June 6 and resumed processing visa processing for affected students.  

Latest Development on Alien Land Laws

According to Newsweek on June 9, 2025, as of 2024, a growing number of U.S. states—more than two-thirds—have enacted or are considering laws restricting foreign land ownership, with a specific focus on Chinese nationals and entities. This wave of legislation is part of a broader response to escalating tensions between the United States and China, including trade disputes and national security concerns. According to the Committee of 100, at least 27 states have considered or passed such laws. Some bills mention China by name, while others reference "foreign adversaries" or countries under scrutiny, which implicitly includes China.

Concerns have intensified over Chinese land purchases near sensitive locations such as military bases. While Chinese investors reportedly own U.S. land equivalent to twice the size of New York City, the scale is still small in proportion to overall foreign land ownership. Nonetheless, the symbolic and strategic implications have drawn bipartisan attention. In 2023, Florida passed a law banning citizens of China and six other countries from owning agricultural land or property near military sites. Similarly, Texas enacted legislation barring land purchases by individuals linked to the governments of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. States like South Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, and Virginia have followed with their own restrictions.

Other states remain divided. In January, Republican lawmakers in Arkansas introduced the “Not One More Inch or Acre Act” to bar any real estate transactions involving Chinese nationals or proxies of the Chinese Communist Party. However, not all proposed bills have succeeded. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, vetoed a bill that would have blocked Chinese entities from purchasing significant land near strategic assets. Meanwhile, states such as Ohio, Michigan, and Georgia are still weighing similar legislative actions. As this issue continues to evolve, it reflects both geopolitical anxieties and domestic debates over property rights, economic openness, and national security.

Read the Newsweek report: https://bit.ly/45iIQGk.

National Academy of Sciences President Warns: “Course-Correct or Lose to China”

On June 3, 2025, National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt delivered her second State of the Science address in Washington DC.  Her warning was stark, as summarized by Politico: “Course-correct or lose to China.”  A video of her address is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENzD7eVtZA (47:55).Dr. McNutt cited independent studies showing the U.S. is already trailing China in several key technology sectors. “The U.S. is no longer leading in key technologies,” she said, warning that U.S. scientific leadership is at risk unless the nation reverses damaging trends: budget cuts, grant cancellations, and restrictive research policies.To restore U.S. leadership in science and innovation, McNutt outlined a plan that includes:

·        Revive a culture of innovation. Budget cuts are leading to risk-averse research choices. Dr. McNutt called for data-driven reforms in peer-review systems to support bold, high-impact proposal.

·        Develop a national research strategy. “No sensible business runs a multibillion-dollar enterprise without a strategy—yet that’s what we’re doing,” McNutt said. She urged the U.S. to emulate countries like China and Germany, which use strategic, nonpartisan planning to guide research investment.

·        Strengthen science education. The U.S. lacks the STEM workforce to meet growing demand, and restrictive visa policies further hinder talent inflow. Dr. McNutt emphasized the broader societal need for science-literate professionals across all sectors. such as lawyers, politicians, and workers in manufacturing and transportation.

·        Sustain International Collaboration. Cutting-edge science increasingly relies on global partnerships.  Dr. McNutt warned that turning away international students and collaborators squanders opportunities and weakens U.S. influence.

·        Reduce Regulatory Burdens. ed tape is draining research resources.  And since the Trump administration has prioritized reducing regulations, McNutt hopes that push extends to research regulations.  “I worry that the emphasis right now on waste, fraud and abuse only leads to more regulations, as everyone is assumed guilty until proven innocent.”

Dr. McNutt also revealed that the National Academy of Sciences is grappling with a $40 million budget shortfall due to terminated federal contracts. As a result, it may need to lay off 250 more employees, following 50 recent departures—marking a sobering reminder of science’s precarious place in today’s policy landscape.On June 5, Science pointed out that the United States was already falling behind in its share of published research—even before the most recent waves of defunding and dismantling basic science. The percentage of papers in Science with at least one corresponding author supported by U.S. federal funding dropped from 54% in 2018 to 44% in 2024. In contrast, the number of published papers originating from China has doubled over the same period.

On June 6, John Holdren and Neal Lane, two former directors of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, sounded alarm in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, that U.S. science faces a crisis due to proposed massive funding and staffing cuts to key federal agencies. The National Science Foundation (NSF) could see its budget slashed by 55% and staff cut by 30%, undermining basic research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) faces a $20 billion reduction and deep staff losses, threatening critical biomedical research. Similar cuts target the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, NOAA, NASA, EPA, and USAID—agencies vital to health, energy, environment, and national security. These moves, they argue, are politically driven and risk reversing decades of bipartisan investment that positioned the U.S. as a global science leader. As China increases its research output, America is losing talent and momentum. The authors urge Congress to act decisively and restore support for science, warning that failure to do so endangers innovation, public welfare, and democracy itself.

On June 7, Axios reported that the Trump administration’s science funding cuts and restrictions on foreign students are triggering a severe brain drain in the U.S.  Quoting Dr. McNutt, America may never fully recover its leadership in global science, as countries like China aggressively recruit top talent. U.S. grant approvals have slowed to a 35-year low, while foreign institutions—like France’s Aix-Marseille University and Chinese research centers—are drawing increasing numbers of American scientists. The administration argues its policies will prioritize domestic talent, but experts say U.S. applicants cannot realistically fill the gap, especially in critical STEM fields. The result is a discouraged generation of young scientists and a weakened future pipeline.

On June 9, the National Academies released a feature story about President Marcia McNutt’s annual State of the Science address with the title “NAS President Says U.S. Science Is Facing ‘Pessimistic’ Future, Urges Changes to Regain Leadership in Science”. 

News and Activities for the Communities

APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:

2025/06/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/06/15-18 2025 Applied Statistics Symposium2025/06/16-24 Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area2025/06/29-30 2025 ICSA China ConferenceVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.  

USCET Is Hiring

 The U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET) is hiring a full-time Program Associate and a part-time Program Manager.  These positions are ideal for individuals passionate about U.S.-China relations and cross-cultural dialogue. Join a dynamic nonprofit environment dedicated to fostering mutual understanding between the United States and China.Deadline is June 30, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET.  Rolling review begins on June 23, 2025 — early applications encouraged!  For more information on full job descriptions and application details, visit https://bit.ly/3Fuaplv. 

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