Chinese students report harassment during US entry

Many Chinese students and tech professionals are raising alarms on social media about harassment during secondary inspections by U.S. immigration and border authorities. They describe these experiences as occurring in a “small dark room” and have led to heightened concerns among international students about traveling to the U.S., according to Chinese state media China Daily.

Interrogation: In one case, a student who was accepted into Harvard Medical School, faced an 18-hour secondary inspection upon arriving in Boston in 2022. Despite holding a valid visa, he was deported after the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers scrutinized his digital records and found a news screenshot celebrating the launch of a Chinese satellite. “They made me stand against a wall with a measuring scale for a photo; isn’t that how criminals are photographed? I never thought I would face such mental humiliation,” he said.
“China threat”: Over 30 Chinese tech students have reportedly faced undue harassment and deportation by U.S. authorities, linked to rising “China threat” rhetoric and national security concerns. The Chinese government formally protested the alleged mistreatment in January, and the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has significantly dropped, with India now leading in international graduate students. Visa rejection rates for high-tech doctoral students are high, leading many to seek education in other countries. Experts suggest that the U.S. is overstretching national security concerns, negatively impacting cultural and educational exchanges between the two nations.

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