The Trump administration seriously considered banning all students from China from studying in the United States, reports Fortune
The story, originally reported in the Financial Times , stated the goal was to not only stop spying, but to cause trouble for elite universities which the president considers too liberal.
The Shanghaist reports the idea was pushed by White House aide Stephen Miller who has taken a hard line on immigration. Intense debates were held on the proposal last spring, but Terry Branstad, the U.S. Ambassador to China, managed to talk President Trump out of the idea.
The White House has not commented on the story. The State Department this year cut the length of visas granted to Chinese grad students working in sensitive fields from five years to one .
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Politico reported in August that President Trump told a group of business executives that “almost every student that comes over to this country is a spy.”
Two Republican-sponsored bills currently being considered in the House and Senate are aimed at Chinese students, which its sponsors, Rep Francis Rooney (R-Fl) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), consider potential spies.
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