President Donald Trump's administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfill its hardline immigration agenda.

In a statement, Rubio said the State Department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong.

"The U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students," he said.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson in Beijing on Thursday condemned the move and said it had lodged protests with Washington, while Chinese students with offers from U.S. universities expressed despair at the crackdown.

The Chinese foreign ministry previously vowed to "firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests" of its students overseas, following the Trump administration's move to revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, many of whom are Chinese.

China is also at the epicenter of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fueled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas comes despite a recent pause in the U.S.-China trade dispute.

International students - India and China together accounting for 54% of them - contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

UNIVERSITY TIES TO CHINA UNDER SCRUTINY
The State Department has broad authority to issue and revoke visas. The administration last week cited Harvard University's ties to China as among several reasons for revoking its ability to enroll foreign students, a move temporarily blocked by a U.S. judge.

@yahoo.com