Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the U.S. State Department will begin revoking visas for Chinese students. This move is aimed at students with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in important fields. Rubio’s announcement follows a freeze on new student visa interviews while new guidelines are being developed.
In his statement, Rubio emphasized that the State Department, under President Trump, will work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enhance scrutiny of visa applications from China and Hong Kong. He noted that there are about 275,000 Chinese students currently studying in the United States.
Concerns about Chinese espionage have prompted this action. There have been cases of Chinese students being charged with espionage. For instance, Yanqing Ye, a student at Boston University, fled the country after being accused of gathering intelligence while studying. She had ties to the Chinese military but did not disclose this when applying for her visa. Another case involved Chaoqun Ji, a student at the Illinois Institute of Technology, who was convicted in 2023 for acting as an unregistered agent for China.
Rubio’s announcement comes as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tighten vetting for foreign students. On Tuesday, Rubio instructed U.S. embassies to halt any new student or exchange visitor visa appointments until further notice, as the administration prepares to implement new social media vetting requirements.
Additionally, Rubio introduced new visa restrictions aimed at foreigners involved in censoring free speech in the U.S. He stated that it is unacceptable for foreign officials to threaten legal action against U.S. citizens for their social media posts while they are in the country.
This latest move reflects ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly regarding national security and intellectual property concerns.