New Trump order

US President Donald Trump’s hatred of foreigners was already well known, but he now appears to be taking it to new levels. The US is now threatening to deport foreign students whose universities have shifted classes online in light of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Thus the foreign students in the US — 8,000 of whom belong to Pakistan, according to the US embassy in Islamabad — are left with the option of risking their lives or risking deportation. In many cases, the choice may not even be theirs. World-class schools such as Harvard are among the 8% of American universities that have already confirmed that they will be shifting to online-only models for the fall semester, meaning that international students at these schools will be deported.

Around 23% will be following hybrid models, and almost 9% of universities still have to decide, while the rest will open for normal classes. But even in the case of the hybrid models, students may not be able to pick the right course combinations for their degrees without risking deportation. Students who cannot figure out a way to meet the classroom quotas at their current schools could transfer away from their dream schools and still be deported for failing to meet the requirements.

Who does this benefit? Not even the Trump administration knows. One suggestion has been that Trump fears these students may commit visa fraud to stay in the country. But unlike 67% of his wives — or 100% of his foreign-born wives — most international students are highly-qualified upstanding citizens who either return home or legally get jobs in the US.

The US was the biggest beneficiary of its international student programmes. These students paid top dollar — as much as three times the fees for local students. Their presence in the US also provides US companies with the opportunity to scout and hire top minds, while for local students, they provide multicultural exposure. Without those fees, many universities, especially state-run ones, will struggle to operate. Without those top minds, US innovation may lag. Without that multiculturalism, xenophobia may strengthen. Considering that last point, maybe Team Trump does know what it’s doing.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2020.

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