Coalition of Over 60 Organizations Calls for Halt of Visa Revocation Policy Targeting Chinese Students Based on National Origin

 Coalition of Over 60 Organizations Calls for Halt of  Visa Revocation Policy Targeting Chinese Students Based on National Origin

Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) & Stop AAPI Hate led a coalition letter representing 64 organizations addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The letter calls for the halt of implementation of the May 28, 2025, policy announcement to “aggressively revoke” the visas of Chinese international students, including in “critical fields”. The Secretary of State’s new planned visa policy, issued without meaningful clarity, hurts the safety and well-being of students, undermines our American values, and jeopardizes the nation’s academic, technological, and economic leadership.

More than 60 organizations representing a wide spectrum within American society joined the letter. 

“This administration’s fearmongering and abuse of national security pretexts is reprehensible. To be clear, this latest attack on Chinese students is an attack on the American principles of equal protection, academic freedom, and due process,” said John C. Yang, President & Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. “History has taught us that exclusionary policies rooted in racist stereotypes rarely address national security concerns. In contrast, they do a disservice to our country’s innovation and upend lives in ways that are felt generations later. We demand that the administration halt these harmful policies of isolationism, chilling opportunity, xenophobia.”

“Blanket suspicion based on national origin has no place in our democracy,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director of AASF. “Policies like this not only negatively impact the well-being and futures of students who came here to learn and contribute—they also damage America’s reputation as a global leader in education, technology, and innovation. As many of our most prominent Asian American innovators, scientists, and researchers came to this country as students, it is clear that this planned visa policy would jeopardize our talent pipeline that is so essential to US leadership. We must reject fear-based policymaking and uphold the values that make our country strong.”

“The Trump administration wants us to believe that Chinese international students are nefarious spies and revoking their visas will keep Americans safe. But we refuse to fall for these racist lies. Hundreds of thousands of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are descended from international students who immigrated to the U.S. for education and opportunity. And turning students into scapegoats is part of the president’s broader effort to exclude people of color from America. At Stop AAPI Hate, we stand in solidarity with Chinese students, educators, and immigrants because we know that when those in power can target any one group with impunity, none of us are safe,” added Manjusha Kulkarni, Co-Founder of Stop AAPI Hate & Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance. 

We remain committed to ensuring that the United States remains a welcoming environment for Asian Americans and all communities. 

If you have any questions about how to support, please don't hesitate to reach out to Gisela at gpkusakawa@aasforum.org, Joanna at jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org, or Kenny at knguyen@stopaapihate.org.