The federal government will “aggressively revoke visas” for Chinese students, including “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a Wednesday evening statement.
Rubio’s statement also noted that the Department of State would alter criteria for granting visas to “enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”
In fall 2024, Brown enrolled 140 students from China.
Though University Spokesperson Brian Clark told The Herald that the University has no additional details about the action, Brown will continue to monitor a database with information about students’ visa status “and will reach out to any individual whose record is terminated.”
“We’ll continue to share guidance, resources and support on the Office of Global Engagement,” he added.
In a Thursday State Department press briefing, department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the meaning of “critical fields” would be up to interpretation by the government.
“The United States … will not tolerate the CCP’s exploitation of U.S. universities or theft of U.S. research,” Bruce said in the briefing. “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision.”
The move comes amid crackdowns on higher education and international students by the Trump administration, including a pause on all student visa interviews while the State Department considers ramping up social media vetting.
At least one Brown student and multiple recent graduates had their visas revoked in early April, The Herald previously reported. But by the end of April, those students and recent graduates had their legal status reinstated, the University said at the time.
During the briefing, Bruce said she was unable to predict how many students would be affected by the coming revocations.
“What I do know,” Bruce said, “is that the people who are deemed to be a threat to the country or a problem now will be vetted again or looked at seriously and Americans will be safer.”
Sophia Wotman is a University news editor covering activism and affinity & identity. She is a senior from Long Island, New York concentrating in political science with a focus on women’s rights. She is a jazz trumpet player, and often performs on campus and around Providence.
