By Wang Zhaoyu and Sun Tao
In the past three months, over a dozen Ph.D. students in STEM fields from research universities such as Yale University and Johns Hopkins University have encountered unwarranted troubles - they were refused re-entry to the U.S. after returning to China for a visit. Despite holding valid U.S. visas, they were ruthlessly deported, with some even being banned from returning to the U.S. for five years. This has greatly impacted their academic and personal lives.
The forced deportation of Chinese international students has also drawn international attention. On March 1st, Science magazine quoted relevant sources as saying, "The events unfolding at airports are creating a 'cicada effect' for those seeking Ph.D. degrees in science in the United States. These Chinese graduate students have become the latest casualties in the increasingly tense political relations between China and the United States."
"The Cicada Effect"
At the end of February, Yale University held a forum to give voice to its international students. Due to certain concerns, these students chose to remain anonymous and declined interview requests from Science magazine.
Science magazine referenced the victim stories detailed in an article published by China Science Daily on January 5th titled "Chinese Ph.D. Students in the U.S. Suddenly Deported: Enduring Nightmare-Like 50 Hours."
Taking the case of the pseudonymous Meng Fei mentioned in the aforementioned article, she experienced a "nightmare-like" 50 hours at Dulles International Airport outside Washington D.C. in December 2023. This included 8 hours of interrogation and body searches by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, 12 hours of solitary confinement, and being forced to purchase a one-way ticket back to China at full fare, costing $3700. Meng Fei was reluctantly sent back to Beijing, interrupting her Ph.D. program at an American university.
The specific reasons for these students being denied entry are still unclear. Their ordeals have garnered significant attention, and their respective institutions are striving to assist them in finding ways to complete their studies and obtain degrees.
Dan Berger, Meng Fei's lawyer, stated in an interview with Science magazine that incidents like these have prompted many Chinese students to ponder whether pursuing advanced degrees in the U.S. is worth the potential cost: being unable to leave the U.S. throughout their graduate studies to avoid violating U.S. immigration laws. Because once they return to China for a visit or travel abroad, they cannot re-enter the U.S. to continue their studies.
He remarked, "While the number of people currently experiencing this issue is relatively small, the 'cicada effect' has already become a reality."
Yan Qin, a cancer biologist at Yale University and the chair of the newly established Asian Faculty and Staff Association at the university, is deeply saddened by the potential losses facing the U.S. scientific community. He said, "These students have nothing to do with military or sensitive technology, yet they have to go elsewhere outside the U.S. to complete their studies and start their careers."
Reasons for Forced Deportation Unclear
Xiaojie Meng, an immigration lawyer acting for four expelled students, stated that the CBP inspection records for these students did not indicate why they were denied entry and subsequently deported. She said, "There is no record indicating that these students said anything sensitive or suspicious, but at the end of the interview, the staff told them that their visas were canceled."
Related to the recent deportation incidents is the Executive Order 10043 issued by former U.S. President Donald Trump in May 2020, which authorized CBP to deny entry to certain Chinese graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The Trump administration claimed that these individuals were seeking to enter the U.S. on F or J visas to "steal sensitive U.S. technology and intellectual property."
The U.S. State Department reported that 1,964 Chinese scholars were denied visas in 2021, and 1,764 were denied in 2022. However, there is no CBP data available for reference. It is evident that there is a lack of transparency in the relevant information, and the specific reasons behind it remain unknown.
This has led to much speculation. For example, an electronic form created by the victims showed that most of them encountered the same CBP inspector at Dulles Airport. They tend to believe that this staff member was attempting to fulfill some sort of quota or had a personal interpretation of the requirements of Executive Order 10043.
However, Dan Berger disagrees with such speculation, stating, "While it is true that some ports of entry may have stricter or looser scrutiny, I am cautious about overinterpreting crowdsourced data like this."
A CBP spokesperson declined to discuss specific cases and stated that the agency, as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is simply fulfilling its duties. They said, "All international travelers attempting to enter the United States are subject to inspection, which is part of protecting the U.S. border and enforcing laws at ports of entry."
Remedies by the Institutions
Lynn Cooley, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Yale University, said that Yale University is doing everything possible to seek remedies from the government so that its students can return to the U.S. to continue their studies. However, she pointed out that the university's ability to provide assistance is very limited because the decision-making authority lies with the following agencies: the U.S. State Department responsible for issuing visas to foreign citizens to enter the U.S., and CBP officers responsible for determining who can enter the U.S. upon arrival.
Lynn Cooley stated that Yale University supports making alternative arrangements for affected students. She said, "If we can arrange for students who cannot return to New Haven to work remotely, as long as it is legal and feasible, we will do so."
However, she added that this is not a good option for students in the early stages of their graduate studies because whether attending classes or conducting research, they need to be on campus. Meng Xiaojie has requested CBP to revoke the decision to ban these students from entering the United States for five years, but she sadly acknowledges that the likelihood of CBP changing its decision is slim. For CBP, there are no deadlines or requirements for responding to such requests, and there isn't even anyone demanding that they must respond.
Two of Meng Xiaojie's clients now hope to transfer to Europe to continue their studies, while another client has been granted temporary permission to study online remotely in China.
Source: Valid U.S. visa didn't stop these Chinese graduate students being deported
