OPINION: The U.S. benefits from international students

More than 1.1 million international students are enrolled at American colleges and universities. They contribute greatly to our nation’s economic and intellectual well-being. Their presence confirms that our higher-education system is the envy of the world. It’s worrisome to see our leaders pursuing policies that will make it harder for international students to study here. A crackdown on international students, including students from China, is profoundly misguided and will hurt our country. With my office on a university campus, I see the vibrancy that international students contribute. Those I meet are serious about academics, engaged in their work, and eager to take part in civic life. They appreciate the education they’re getting and the opportunities that come with studying in the United States. Nationally, 56 percent of international students are in the STEM fields, primarily math, computer science, and engineering. About half are graduate students, and many are engaged in research and teaching. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, a majority of U.S. graduate students in key technical subjects are international. Without them, our colleges couldn’t offer such an array of programs, especially in STEM. International students contribute $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy and support more than 378,000 jobs, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In Indiana, where I live, nearly 30,000 international students add almost $1 billion to the state’s economy. Their spending props up the economy in college towns. Many international students choose to stay and work in the U.S. after college, helping meet demands for skilled workers. Some become entrepreneurs and start businesses in emerging fields like artificial intelligence. Their presence also benefits U.S. resident students, exposing them to the larger world. As the number of international students in the U.S. has increased, so has the number of American students studying abroad; it’s now nearly 300,000. These students find that international travel broadens our horizons and makes the world smaller. Unfortunately, international education is in the crosshairs of Trump administration priorities, including opposition to immigration and targeting of elite colleges. This spring, the government began revoking visas for some students who had protested the war in Gaza. More recently, it has focused on China, the No. 2 source of international students after India. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing security concerns, said the U.S. would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students.” It’s certainly important to protect ourselves from activities that might involve espionage or intellectual property theft, including in university research labs. But we shouldn’t overreact and forget the many benefits of international education. Not that long ago, there were no Chinese students studying here. Then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping proposed sending several thousand students to the U.S., and President Jimmy Carter welcomed the idea. The first group, 52 students, arrived in late 1978. Eventually, Chinese students became the most numerous international students on American campuses. Today, 277,000 Chinese students are about one-fourth of all international students in the U.S. As Li Yuan writes in the New York Times, “The United States gained access to a vast market and talent pool, while China found a model and a partner for transforming its economy.” There’s no question that China does a lot of things that we don’t like, but U.S.-China relations improved dramatically from the era when Mao Zedong ruled a hostile and isolated China. College students were vital to that change. And international students, not just from China but from many other countries, boost America’s standing in the world. As they study and travel in the U.S. and interact with other students, faculty and neighbors, they learn about our society and our system of government. When they return home, they take that understanding and appreciation back with them. That’s something we, as Americans, should welcome.                      

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Lee Hamilton, 94, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.