The Trump Administration Targets International Students: Consequences and Fallout

 Recently, the Trump Administration has publicly targeted international college students, and revoked many of their visas.  Harvard has been of particular ire to Trump, with the prestigious university vowing lawsuits over the reduction of their federal funding.  The saga over international students is the latest in the tit-for-tat between Trump and Harvard.  Many Americans may not realize the impact that banning international students will have on the economy, on American universities, or even on their children's odds of getting into college.  A federal judge has blocked Trump's order banning international students from attending Harvard.  The checks and balances of the federal government are serving their purpose in this case.  However, if Trump is able to circumvent the courts, what do the consequences of banning international students look like?

The United States losing international students would have grave economic consequences and would impact Americans from all walks of life, whether they realize it or not.  Economists say that international students provide to the American economy in many different ways, including but not limited to, working in high economic return sectors and starting their own businesses, which not only benefits them, but benefits other workers, including people they may employ at their own business.  Beyond this, the data backs up the claim that international students contribute greatly to the U.S. economy.

The 2023-24 academic year saw international students contribute $43.8 billion to the economy, mainly through jobs on college campuses and within the service industry.  If Trump's ban were to work, this level of economic contribution would be lost, or at the very least greatly reduced.  It will also hurt the United States' reputation as a desirable location for students to want to study and attend college, adding to the economic downturn from falling international tourism to the United States.

These policies also harm the students themselves, with many of them not feeling comfortable leaving the U.S. for fear they won't be allowed back in.  That is assuming they want to stay here, with some taking the option of studying abroad elsewhere.  These hostile policies against international students harm not only the students themselves, but also the American people and the economy.  Americans have benefitted from the labor of international students, and the risk of less of them wanting to study in the U.S. because of this hostility.  Hopefully, Americans understand the risks of these policies, and speak out about the harm they can and will cause to society.


Sources:

Quilantan, Bianca, and Josh Gerstein. “Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Latest Effort to Ban Harvard’s International Students - Politico.” POLITICO, June 5, 2025. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/05/harvard-judge-trump-effort-ban-international-students-00391244.

Wallace, Alicia. “Trump’s Attacks on International Student Enrollment Could Ultimately Shake the Economy | CNN Business.” CNN, June 6, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/economy/international-student-visas-economic-impact.

 

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