Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois
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The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a broader immigration crackdown.
Why it matters: Illinois is one of the top states for international college students.
- International students contribute about $2.4 billion to the state economy and more than 23,000 jobs, according to data from NAFSA, an international education nonprofit.
By the numbers: Of the 1.1 million international college students studying in the U.S. during the 2023-24 school year, about 5.5% were studying in Illinois.
- That's about 62,000 students.
- The congressional district that includes the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus has the most international students in the state, with more than 17,000, followed by the district with the University of Chicago, which has about 12,000 students from abroad.
The big picture: The student visa pause comes as the Trump administration has been criticizing U.S. colleges and universities for failing to crack down on what it describes as heightened antisemitism, as students protest Israel's actions in Gaza.
- The revocation of Chinese students' visas in particular is tied to concerns that their government is using them "to steal intellectual property on Beijing's behalf," a State Department official told Axios' Marc Caputo.
The other side: Detractors argue that making it harder for international students to come study in the U.S. harms the country's global image, and risks missing out on key talent in hot fields like artificial intelligence.
- Many AI startups have at least one immigrant founder, a recent analysis found.
- NAFSA says international students contribute $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy overall.
Go deeper: Foreign students consider fleeing Harvard after Trump threats, university says