Philosophy student with full scholarship sent back to China despite valid visa

A 22-year-old philosophy student from China with a full scholarship to the University of Houston was reportedly detained for 36 hours and deported back to his country despite having valid paperwork.

What happened: Gu, whose story was first reported by AP News, arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston after a 29-hour flight last month. According to the outlet, he had previously completed a semester at Cornell University without issues and was pursuing a master’s degree in humanities — a field that does not typically raise suspicions. However, customs officers stopped him, searched his belongings, confiscated his electronics and subjected him to three rounds of interrogation that lasted 10 hours.

Officers reportedly focused on his ties to the Chinese Communist Party. But while his parents are party members, Gu himself had never joined, though he belongs to the Communist Youth League like most young Chinese. Officers also questioned his connections to the China Scholarship Council, which appeared in his chat history with schoolmates, even when he received no government funding. “I was so nervous I was shaking, due to both being freezing cold and also the nerves,” Gu told AP, recalling his time in detention. He was ultimately deported without being given a specific reason and banned from returning for five years.

The big picture: Gu’s experience comes amid President Donald Trump’s contradictory stance toward Chinese students. While Trump announced plans to welcome 600,000 Chinese students — more than doubling current enrollment — his administration maintains restrictive policies. Most notably, State Secretary Marco Rubio pledged in May to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections with the Chinese Communist Party.” But Trump defended the policy shift, telling reporters in late August, “It’s very insulting to say students can’t come here.”

The mixed signals have sparked conservative backlash. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump supporter, said schools dependent on Chinese students “should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP.” Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called on Washington to “stop groundlessly harassing, interrogating or repatriating” Chinese students as the embassy cites multiple complaints of discriminatory treatment.

Gu, for his part, plans to challenge his removal through legal channels, a process that may require years and substantial financial resources.