Chinese nationals who infiltrated US universities

The Trump medication has intensified its scrutiny of Chinese nationals studying astatine U.S. universities aft respective instances successful caller years of students from the communist state engaging successful alleged surreptitious enactment portion successful the United States.

The incidents, which person progressive allegations of espionage, conspiracy and accusations of misleading national officials, occurred arsenic a effect of Chinese nationals oregon others with Chinese ties participating successful associated acquisition programs betwixt the United States and China.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security program to "aggressively revoke" pupil visas of Chinese nationals, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party."

A Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson blasted the caller argumentation successful a statement Thursday connected X, saying the determination was "fully unjustified" and damaging to the United States’ reputation.

STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT WILL ‘AGGRESSIVELY REVOKE’ VISAS OF CHINESE STUDENTS

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies earlier a Senate Committee connected Foreign Relations proceeding to analyse the president's projected fund petition for fiscal twelvemonth 2026 for the Department of State connected Capitol Hill successful Washington May 20, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

"Citing ideology and nationalist information arsenic a pretext, the determination earnestly hurts the lawful rights and interests of planetary students from China and disrupts people-to-people exchanges betwixt the 2 countries," spokesperson Lin Jian said.

Nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals person pupil visas successful the United States. It is unclear if the State Department plans to people each of them oregon lone some. Fox News Digital reached retired to the section for clarity.

Below is simply a look astatine immoderate caller incidents involving Chinese nationals astatine universities.

Five Chinese nationals progressive successful Camp Grayling incident

The DOJ brought charges against 5 University of Michigan students past twelvemonth aft a sergeant large encountered them astatine Camp Grayling successful 2023.

The students had cameras with them and were discovered arsenic the U.S. National Guard was conducting a monolithic grooming cognition astatine the tract with Taiwanese subject members, according to a complaint.

They were each Chinese nationals attending the University of Michigan arsenic portion of the school’s associated programme with a Shanghai-based university, an FBI authoritative wrote successful the complaint, noting immoderate of them had taken photos of Camp Grayling's subject installations and operations.

Marco Rubio and Xi Jinping (Getty Images)

The FBI asked the tribunal to contented apprehension warrants for the students for making mendacious statements and destroying records.

Chinese nationals breach Key West subject base

Two Chinese nationals who were postgraduate students astatine the University of Michigan pleaded blameworthy successful 2020 aft they were caught illegally entering and photographing defence infrastructure astatine a naval aerial presumption successful Key West, Florida.

University of Minnesota student

Fengyun Shi, a Chinese nationalist studying astatine the University of Minnesota, was convicted successful the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia past twelvemonth of unlawfully utilizing a drone to instrumentality photos of naval bases successful Norfolk, Virginia.

Shi was sentenced to six months successful situation and a twelvemonth of supervised release, and the Biden medication revoked his visa successful effect to the charges. ICE announced successful May that it deported him to China.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: 'NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA'

Harvard chemistry section chair

While not a Chinese national, Charles Lieber, erstwhile seat of Harvard's chemistry department, was convicted successful 2021 of making mendacious statements to authorities and failing to study income from his enactment with China's Wuhan University of Technology and a declaration helium had with China's Thousand Talents Program.

Espionage attempt

Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese nationalist and one-time pupil astatine the Illinois Institute of Technology, was sentenced to 8 years successful situation aft helium was convicted by a assemblage successful 2022 of attempting to perpetrate espionage and theft of commercialized secrets.

Ji was recovered to person gathered accusation connected defence contractors, engineers and others arsenic portion of a broader effort by high-level Chinese quality officials to get wrong entree to U.S. exertion advancements.

Rubio's announcement besides comes aft Harvard filed a suit alleging the Trump medication improperly banned each overseas nationals from the Ivy League schoolhouse by revoking its pupil visa certification. A justice temporarily blocked the medication from carrying retired the prohibition arsenic the lawsuit plays retired successful the courts.

STATE DEPARTMENT NOW SCRUTINIZING ALL VISA HOLDERS ASSOCIATED WITH HARVARD

Banners astatine the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library connected the Harvard University field successful Cambridge, Mass., Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told Harvard successful a missive made nationalist done tribunal filings that the revocation was a effect of the alleged prevalence of antisemitism connected field but besides a effect of the administration's "serious concerns" that the assemblage has "coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party."

Lyons cited respective examples, including Harvard accepting $151 cardinal from overseas donors since 2020, moving with "China-based academics" connected projects funded by an "Iranian authorities agent," partnering with Chinese universities and utilizing nationalist funds to bash truthful and collaborating with radical "linked to China’s defense-industrial base."

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"This coordination is simply a valid and substantive crushed for withdrawing Harvard University’s [Student Exchange Visitor Program] certification to enroll overseas students," Lyons wrote.

Harvard attorneys argued during a tribunal proceeding Thursday that the Trump administration did not springiness the assemblage a accidental to rebut the claims astir antisemitism and CCP ties earlier the overseas pupil prohibition was enacted. The medication agreed to springiness Harvard 1 period to respond to those claims portion the prohibition remains connected hold.