Immigrant students shape California’s future. Don’t close the door on them
Many observers have expressed concern with the future of our education system. The Department of Education is being dismantled, DEI programs are going by the wayside, affirmative action has ended, and much more.
It is hard to say what will happen to international students at U.S. universities. Jeanne Batalova for the Migration Policy Institute in July 2025 wrote that
“the United States’ dominance in [attracting international students] has been declining over the past decade. . . . With the Trump administration’s heightened scrutiny of international students, attempts to block Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students, revocation of some student visas, and a ban or restriction on visas for nationals from 19 countries, it remains to be seen how these actions might affect future enrollment rates. While the number of new foreign students has fluctuated over the past decade, the new restrictions may create chilling effects on future international student flows to the United States.” Will international students go elsewhere?
Along similar lines, Venkates Swaminathan for CalMatters writes poignantly of what the nation loses if immigrant students are denied access to education.
Students voicing support for the DREAM Act in Senator John McCain’s office, May 2010.
KJ
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