He came to the U.S. for a college education. Trump has taught him to be afraid | Opinion

The international student is so fearful he’s afraid to give his name.

An N.C. State professor put me in touch with him. He is a graduate student at the university studying for his master’s in engineering. He’s in his late 20s and is from one of the Gulf nations. He has a year to go until he graduates and he doesn’t want to attract attention.

The Trump administration has recently revoked the legal status of hundreds of international students and recent graduates, alleging that the targeted students have protested U.S. policy or committed some offense, but the administration rarely explains the reasons. So far it has happened to two international students at N.C. State, three at Duke, six at UNC-Chapel Hill and six at UNC-Charlotte, according to a tracker compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The N.C. State student I spoke with is familiar with the two students at his university, both from Saudi Arabia, who left the U.S. after having their visas revoked. It happened fast, he said. They received a notice on a Wednesday and departed for Saudi Arabia three days later.

“One of them just got here in January,” he said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with any protest. It was just random.”

“I talked with them before they left,” he said. “They didn’t know why their visas got revoked, especially the one who arrived here in January.”

They were not political, he said. “One of them would go to the lab, go to sleep and go to the lab,” he said.

The pair tried to hire an immigration lawyer, he said, “but they just thought it was not worth it.” If they fought the government, he said, “They could be deported and sent anywhere.”

“I don’t think there was any justifiable reason” for the visa revocations,” he said, “other than we just need to deport some students so we can instill fear in the rest.”

It’s working. The abrupt and unexplained actions by the Trump administration has had a deeply chilling effect on international students. He said, “Yesterday, one of my friends told me that she has nightmares about being deported.”

Speaking to this student sounded like a tale from his own autocratic nation, not the United States.

“I don’t post any political stuff on social media. It’s better to be careful,” he said. “I deactivated most of my social media accounts. You don’t know what you might have commented on seven years ago.”

He said he’s worried what could happen if he gets a speeding ticket or some other minor offense. He heard of a Brigham Young University doctoral candidate from Japan who had his visa revoked – but since reinstated – for a 2019 overfishing violation.

“You have to be extremely careful. It’s insane,” he said. “I don’t want to live in fear all the time.”

And he’s not sure if he wants to live in the U.S. after graduation, as he had originally hoped.

“I like the United States. I love the freedom here. I love the environment, the parks and all that,” he said. But now he’s considering taking the expertise he has learned at N.C. State to Canada, Europe or even Gulf Coast nations.

He’s concerned not only about the scrutiny of visa holders but how the Trump administration’s cuts in university research funding will limit opportunities in his field.

“The current atmosphere is not very encouraging with the cuts to grants and the repercussions for research,” he said. “It’s going to be tough for me to find a job and stay here.”

Talking about his situation is a risk, he said, “but I’m doing this so people know what we’re dealing with and how unfair it is.”

He thinks it’s not just a problem for international students. “I think all Americans should be worried about this,” he said. “The U.S. was in a privileged position to attract the talent of the world. What’s happening now is a brain drain. Even native citizens are considering leaving.”

He’s right. The Trump administration isn’t only intimidating international students. It’s hurting the reputation and the economy of the U.S. What should be revoked is this draconian policy, not students’ visas.

This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 11:19 AM.