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The Trump administration has stepped up scrutiny of Chinese citizens studying at US universities after several instances of communist students engaged in alleged secret activities in the United States.
The incidents that included allegations of espionage, conspiracy and misleading federal officials’ charges occurred as a result of Chinese citizens or others who are participating in a joint US-China education program.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security will “actively cancel” student visas for Chinese citizens.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the new policy in a statement on Thursday on X, saying the move was “completely unfair” and was causing damage to the US reputation.
The State Department says it will “actively cancel” visas for Chinese students
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations to consider the President’s proposed budget request for the 2026 budget request for Capitol Hill, Washington, on May 20, 2025.
“Quoting ideology and national security as an excuse, the move seriously harms the legal rights and interests of international students from China and disrupts interactions between people and people between the two countries,” said spokesman Lin Zian.
Approximately 300,000 Chinese citizens have student visas in the United States. It is unclear whether the State Department will target all of them or some of them. Fox News Digital contacted the department for Clarity.
Below, let’s take a look at recent incidents involving the Chinese citizens of the university.
Five Chinese citizens involved in the Camp Greyling incident
DOJ brought charges against five students at the University of Michigan last year after Sergeant encountered them at Camp Greyling in 2023.
The student had cameras and was discovered while the US National Guard was carrying out extensive training work on the field with Taiwanese military members.
They are all Chinese nationals attending the University of Michigan as part of a school’s joint program with the Shanghai-based university, and FBI officials wrote in the complaint, some of which said they had photographed the military facilities and operations at Camp Greyling.
Marco Rubio and Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
The FBI asked the court to make false statements and issue a warrant for arrest to students to destroy the records.
Chinese National Infringement Key West Military Base
Two Chinese nationals, who were graduate students at the University of Michigan, pleaded guilty in 2020 after entering illegally and taking photos at a Naval Air Base in Key West, Florida.
University of Minnesota Students
Fengkyung Shee, a Chinese national studying at the University of Minnesota, was convicted last year in US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for illegally using drones to take photos of a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.
Shi was sentenced to six months in prison, and was given a one-year supervised release, and the Biden administration revoked his visa in response to the charges. ICE announced in May that he had deported him to China.
The Trump administration launches a new wave of revoking international student visas: “No one has visa rights”
Harvard Chemistry Director
Though not a Chinese citizen, Charles Lieber, former chairman of Harvard’s chemistry department, was found guilty in 2021 for making false statements to authorities, reporting income from work with China’s Uhan University of Technology, and failing to report contracts with China’s Thousand Talent Program.
Attempts to spy
Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese citizen and one-time student at Illinois Institute of Technology, was sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted in 2022 by a ju judge for attempting to espionage and theft in trade secrets.
It has been found that JI has gathered information about defense contractors, engineers and others as part of a broad effort by the high-level Chinese intelligence reporting agency to gain internal access to advances in U.S. technology.
Rubio’s announcement comes after Harvard University filed a lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration inappropriately banned all foreigners at Ivy League schools by revoking its student visa certification. The judge temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out the ban when the case was brought to court.
The State Department is currently scrutinizing all visa holders related to Harvard.
Banner at the Harry Elkinswidener Memorial Library on Harvard University Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Sophie Park/Bloomberg) on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Harvard in a letter published through a court application. The revocation was the result of suspected anti-Semitism prevalence on campus, but also the result of the administration’s “serious concern” that the university “coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Lions have cited several examples, including accepting $151 million from foreign donors since 2020, working with “China-based scholars” on projects funded by “Iranian government agents,” partnering with Chinese universities, using public funds to use public funds, and “working with people related to China’s defense industry bases.”
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“This adjustment is a valid and substantial reason for retracting Harvard University. [Student Exchange Visitor Program] Lyons wrote:
Harvard’s lawyers argued at a court hearing Thursday that the Trump administration did not give the university the opportunity to refute allegations about the relationship between anti-Semitism and CCP before the ban on foreign students was enacted. The administration agreed to grant Harvard in a month to accommodate these claims while the ban is pending.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, covering the Department of Justice and legal affairs. Email story tips to Ashley.oliver@fox.com.
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