US to revoke visas of Chinese students, says Marco Rubio

Washington: The United States will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, particularly those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or who are studying in strategically sensitive fields, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rubio stated: "The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." 

The move marks a further escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten oversight of foreign student enrolments, particularly from countries it views as national security threats.

Earlier the same day, President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of Harvard University, calling for a cap on international student admissions. He proposed limiting the number of foreign students to no more than 15 per cent of the student body, far below the current figure.

In a pointed statement, Trump said many foreign students were “troublemakers” and could pose risks to public safety. “We don’t want to see shopping centres explode. We don’t want to see the kind of riots that you had,” he said, referencing past civil unrest.

Trump further claimed that Harvard admits too many students from what he described as “very radicalised” parts of the world. “Why would 31 per cent? Why would a number be so big?” he asked, referencing the share of foreign students at the university. “I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15 per cent. We have people that want to go to Harvard and other schools but they can’t get in because we have foreign students there.”

“I want to make sure that foreign students are people that can love our country,” Trump added. “Many of those students didn’t go anywhere; many of those students were troublemakers caused by the radical left.”

Harvard University has responded to mounting government pressure in recent years. According to court documents cited by CNN, international students make up roughly 25 per cent of the university’s full-time student population. The institution has resisted federal demands to provide full behavioural records of foreign students and allow audits aimed at assessing “viewpoint diversity” on campus.