MAKE NO MISTAKE, THE US NEEDS FOREIGN STUDENTS TO REMAIN SELF SUSTAINED!

• The advent of Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America for the second time is already turning out to be quite disruptive not only domestically but also globally with the slew of measures outlined during the campaigning taking effect. The tariff war has already begun, illegal deportation has commenced in the right earnest, green card holders are in a state of panic, peace initiatives have begun, and global leaders are looking increasingly anxious about the fast-emerging situation not knowing what will befall them. Within two months of assuming the office of the most powerful executive in the world, Donald Trump has created enough ripples with his often-impetuous moves that are already facing heat domestically and internationally.

PC: Jagran English

• One of the aspects that’s going to hurt the US is the way foreign students are being cornered on the pretext of questioning freedom of speech. Make no mistake, the US needs foreign students as much as they need America’s excellent higher education. It’s too early to say what Trump wants from US universities, but freedom of speech is not it. The Mahmoud Khalil case is still playing out. Born in Syria to Palestinian refugees, he is under arrest for leading pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University. Ranjani Srinivasan, a doctoral student from India, dodged handcuffs and a deportation flight just in time. Her visa was revoked for liking pro-Palestine posts. And now Badar Khan Suri, an Indian student at Georgetown University has been detained for Hamas propaganda.

PC: Telegraph India

• As reported, he has no criminal record and has not been charged with a crime yet but is marked for deportation under the same rule as Khalil. Politico says Suri may be in the US crosshairs because of his wife’s Palestinian origin. A few more of these cases could give international students and their families chills. Data shows that it won’t be good for America. Note that last year, the US had 1,126,690 foreign students from more than 200 countries – a record. More than one-quarter of them – 331,602 – were Indian. Trump’s admin views these students as Uncle Sam’s Burden. It is a privilege to be granted a visa to live and study in the USA, the chief of Homeland Security wrote on X in connection with the Srinivasan case.

PC: Business Standard

Yes, but these 1.1mn-plus students poured $43.8bn into the US economy, which is equal to Apple’s July-Sept iPhone revenue in 2023, and not far behind GM’s global revenue in Oct-Dec 2024. The average annual spend per student touched $40,000., which compares well with US median pay of $48,000 in 2023. Clearly, international students aren’t a burden on the US taxpayer. Most of them pay full tuition, which helps universities subsidise US students. And don’t forget the 378,000 US jobs these students create. At a time when universities from Harvard to Pittsburg have frozen hiring due to reduced govt support, international students are a revenue stream they can’t afford to lose. American universities need students and the revenue they bring for self-sustenance.