Trump promised to welcome more foreign students. Now, they feel targeted on all fronts

By JOCELYN GECKER AP Guidance Writer To attract the brightest minds to America President Donald Trump proposed a novel idea while campaigning If elected he would grant green cards to all foreign students who graduate from U S colleges Related Articles Inflation content threatened by executive hiring freeze as tariffs loom Trump s tariffs would cut US deficits by T over years and shrink the business activity CBO says What is the CBO A look at the small office inflaming debate over Trump s tax bill Trump says Putin notified him that Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on airfields As trial opens Mike Lindell s attorneys say he spread insists about Dominion official because he was triggered It s so sad when we lose people from Harvard MIT from the greatest schools Trump noted during a podcast interview last June That is going to end on Day One That promise never came to pass Trump s stance on welcoming foreign students has shifted dramatically International students have discovered themselves at the center of an escalating campaign to kick them out or keep them from coming as his administration merges a crackdown on immigration with an effort to reshape higher mentoring An avalanche of policies from the Trump administration such as terminating students ability to examination in the U S halting all new apprentice visa interviews moving to block foreign enrollment at Harvard have triggered lawsuits countersuits and confusion for international students who say they feel targeted on multiple fronts In interviews students from around the world described how it feels to be an international apprentice in the present day in America Their accounts highlight pervasive feelings of fear anxiety and insecurity that have made them more cautious in their daily lives distracted them from schoolwork and prompted a multitude of to cancel trips home because they fear not being allowed to return For a large number of the last limited months have forced them to rethink their dreams of building a life in America A standout scholar from Latvia feels expendable Markuss Saule a freshman at Brigham Young University-Idaho took a new trip home to Latvia and spent the entire flight back to the U S in a state of panic For hours he scrubbed his phone uninstalling all social media deleting anything that touched on politics or could be construed as anti-Trump That whole -hour flight where I was debating Will they let me in it definitely killed me a little bit reported Saule a business analytics major It was terrifying Saule is the type of international attendee the U S has coveted As a high schooler in Latvia he qualified for a competitive merit-based exchange initiative funded by the U S State Department He spent a year of high school in Minnesota falling in love with America and a classmate who is now his fiancee He just ended his freshman year in college with a GPA But the alarm he felt on that flight crushed what was left of his American dream If you had required me at the end of what my plans were it was to get married find a great job here in the U S and start a family mentioned Saule who hopes to work as a business statistics analyst Those plans are not applicable anymore Ask me now and the plan to leave this place as soon as workable Saule and his fiancee plan to marry this summer graduate a year early and move to Europe This spring the Trump administration abruptly revoked permission to scrutiny in the U S for thousands of international students before reversing itself A federal judge has blocked further status terminations but for a great number of the damage is done Saule has a constant fear he could be next As a trainee in Minnesota just three years ago he felt like a proud ambassador for his country Now I feel a sense of inferiority I feel that I am expendable that I am purely an appendage that is maybe getting cut off soon he declared Trump s policies carry a clear subtext The policies what they tell me is simple It is one word Leave From dreaming of working at NASA to doomscrolling job listings in India A concern for attracting the world s top students was raised in the interview Trump gave last June on the podcast All-In Can you promise Trump was questioned to give companies more ability to import the best and brightest students I do promise Trump answered Green cards he revealed would be handed out with diplomas to any foreign learner who gets a college or graduate degree Trump disclosed he knew stories of brilliant graduates who requested to stay in the U S to work but couldn t They go back to India they go back to China and become multi-billionaires employing thousands of people That is going to end on Day One Had Trump followed through with that pledge a -year-old Indian physics major named Avi would not be afraid of losing everything he has worked toward After six years in Arizona where Avi attended college and is now working as an engineer the U S feels like a second home He dreams of working at NASA or in a national lab and staying in America where he has several relatives But now he is too afraid to fly to Chicago to see them rattled by news of foreigners being harassed at immigration centers and airports Do I vulnerability seeing my family or liability deportation stated Avi who demanded to be identified by his first name fearing retribution Avi is one of about people on candidate visas in the U S on Optional Practical Training a postgraduation period where students are authorized to work in fields related to their degrees for up to three years A key Trump nominee has mentioned he would like to see an end to postgraduate work authorization for international students Avi s visa is valid until next year but he feels a massive amount of uncertainty He wonders if he can sign a lease on a new apartment Even his daily commute feels different I drive to work every morning miles an hour under speed limit to avoid getting pulled over announced Avi who hopes to stay in the U S but is casting a wider net I spend a lot of time doomscrolling job listings in India and other places Vladyslav Plyaka poses for a photo at Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington Monday June Vladyslav Plyaka came to the U S from Ukraine as an exchange aspirant in high school and stayed to attend the University of Wisconsin His entry visa has expired and he was planning to visit Poland to see his mother and renew his visa over the next year He doesn t know when that will be manageable now that visa appointments are suspended and he doesn t feel safe leaving the country even when appointments resume AP Photo Jose Luis Magana Vladyslav Plyaka poses for a photo at Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington Monday June AP Photo Jose Luis Magana Vladyslav Plyaka poses for a photo at Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington Monday June AP Photo Jose Luis Magana Vladyslav Plyaka poses for a photo at Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington Monday June AP Photo Jose Luis Magana Show Caption of Vladyslav Plyaka poses for a photo at Capitol Hill neighborhood in Washington Monday June Vladyslav Plyaka came to the U S from Ukraine as an exchange novice in high school and stayed to attend the University of Wisconsin His entry visa has expired and he was planning to visit Poland to see his mother and renew his visa over the next year He doesn t know when that will be doable now that visa appointments are suspended and he doesn t feel safe leaving the country even when appointments resume AP Photo Jose Luis Magana Expand A Ukrainian chose college in America over joining the fight at home for now Vladyslav Plyaka came to the U S from Ukraine as an exchange attendee in high school As war broke out at home he stayed to attend the University of Wisconsin He was planning to visit Poland to see his mother but if he leaves the U S he would need to reapply for a visa He doesn t know when that will be attainable now that visa appointments are suspended and he doesn t feel safe leaving the country anyway He feels grateful for the tuition but without renewing his visa he ll be stuck in the U S at least two more years while he finishes his degree He sometimes wonders if he would be willing to peril leaving his instruction in the United States something he worked for years to achieve if something happened to his family It s hard because every day I have to think about my family if everything is going to be all right he announced It took him three tries to win a scholarship to research in the U S Having that cut short because of visa problems would undermine the sacrifice he made to be here He sometimes feels guilty that he isn t at home fighting for his country but he knows there s value in gaining an guidance in America I decided to stay here just because of how good the college learning is he reported If it was not good I perhaps would be on the front lines AP Schooling Writer Collin Binkley contributed to this overview The Associated Press schooling coverage receives financial help from 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