WASHINGTON: The 22-year-old philosophy student from China did not expect any problems after his 29-hour flight arrived at a Texas airport this month as he was on his way to study at the University of Houston.His paperwork was in order. He was going to study humanities – not a tech field that might raise suspicions. He had a full scholarship from a US school and had previously spent a semester at Cornell University for an exchange program with no issues.But the student, who asked to be identified only by his family name, Gu, because of the political sensitivities of the matter, was stopped, interrogated and 36 hours later, put on a plane back to China. He was also banned from coming back for five years, abruptly halting his dream for an academic career in the US. “There is no opportunity for the life I had expected,” Gu said.He is one of an unknown number of Chinese students with permission to enter the US who have been sent back to China or faced intense questioning after their arrival, drawing strong protests from Beijing and showing the uncertainty from President Donald Trump’s shifting policies. His administration has quickly pivoted from a plan to revoke visas for Chinese students to Trump himself saying he would welcome hundreds of thousands of them, partly to help keep some American schools afloat. The US has put restrictions on Chinese students.Even so, some officials and lawmakers have expressed suspicions about Chinese students, especially those who study advanced technologies and their possible links to the Chinese govt and military. Some lawmakers want to ban Chinese students altogether.The Chinese embassy said it has received reports involving more than 10 Chinese students and scholars being interrogated, harassed and repatriated when entering the US. “The US side has frequently carried out discriminatory, politically driven and selective law enforcement against Chinese students and scholars, inflicting physical and mental harm,” the Chinese Embassy said.
