Trump Tightens Reins on Foreign Students in Multifront Immigration Crackdown on Universities

President Trump is making it harder and harder for international students and immigrants to pursue higher education in the U.S.

Dreamers, foreign students seeking visas and potentially even those looking to work in the country after graduation have all found themselves caught in the crossfire as Trump seeks to curb immigration while also cracking down on colleges and universities.

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The most recent Trump administration action came against Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, those who came to the country undocumented as children who are allowed to renew their status every two years to avoid deportation.

The Education Department announced last week it was investigating five universities for scholarship programs they have for DACA recipients, arguing the policies are unfair to U.S. citizens.

Foreign students coming to the U.S. now must go through a new social media check when applying for a visa, which has resulted in individuals purging their online accounts of any information that could be considered controversial.

For those who have been studying in the U.S. over the past six months, life has been a whirlwind.

Thousands were taken off the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a reporting system that gives information about international students to the Department of Homeland Security — then later reinstated after an uproar.

Multiple students and faculty have been arrested and targeted for deportation after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with the State Department alleging they pose a risk to U.S. foreign policy. Most of the individuals have been released from custody but are still facing deportation trials.

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International students who are at universities specifically targeted by the Trump administration, such as Harvard and Columbia, have even larger concerns.

The administration tried to take away Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students, though the courts have so far rejected that move. The federal government has not given up, however, and launched an additional investigation into Harvard’s compliance with enrolling foreign students.

Separately, Columbia last week said it would in the future tell the Trump administration if an international student is expelled, one of a list of reforms to which the school agreed in order to get federal funds unfrozen.

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