International students in the United States are being hunted by the Trump administration and as a result many are facing deportation.
At first, the bar association for immigration attorneys began receiving inquiries from a couple students a day, these were foreigners studying in the U.S., and they’d discovered in early April their legal status had been terminated with little notice.
President Donald Trump and his administration have been targeting immigrant students under the blanket antisemitism crackdown on university campuses. Trump has already cut federal funding to Harvard, Brown, Columbia and several other universities in the country that did not comply with his orders to detain and deport immigrant students participating in free speech protests.
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“We thought it was going to be something that was unusual,” said Matthew Maiona, a Boston-based immigration attorney who is getting about six calls a day from panicked international students. “But it seems now like it’s coming pretty fast and furious.”
At least 790 students at more than 120 colleges and universities have reportedly had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press review of university statements and correspondence with school officials.
If Trump continues to deport international students, it could have wide-reaching effects on education, the economy, and global relations. U.S. universities could face a significant drop in international enrollment, leading to financial challenges, especially since many international students pay full tuition. The U.S. may also lose its reputation as a top destination for higher education, pushing students to study in more welcoming countries.
Economically, the country could face a talent gap. Many international students stay to work in high-demand fields like technology, healthcare, and research. Deporting them could slow innovation and reduce the skilled labor pool. On a global scale, this policy could harm U.S. diplomatic relationships and diminish its soft power, as fewer foreign nationals study and build ties in the U.S.
Overall, such actions may offer short-term political appeal but risk long-term damage to America’s educational and economic strength.