How the Trump administration's crackdown on international students could affect the economy – PBS

How the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students could affect the economy  PBS

A new proposed $70,000 fee for international students who are seeking to work in the U.S. after graduation is the latest Trump administration policy targeting scholars from abroad. "We've never, until now, seen this deluge of policies that have been direct attacks on international students to this level," said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an agency that promotes international education. In his second term, President Donald Trump has increased vetting for student visas, terminated the legal status of thousands of students and attempted to place limits on how long people can hold a student visa. The administration has additionally increased fees and restrictions for H-1B employment visas that international students often rely on to continue living in the U.S.

years after graduation. "The goal seems to be to shrink the foreign-born population in the U.S.," said Tara Watson, senior fellow of economic studies at the Brookings Institution. These policies, several of which have been halted by courts, signal a departure from Trump's repeated assurances that he is pro legal immigration, and from his campaign promise to grant international students permanent residency after graduating from U.S. colleges. READ MORE: Trump said he's pro legal immigration, his policies say otherwise The restrictive policies have had detrimental effects on international students and universities, experts told PBS News. A preliminary analysis by NAFSA in