CNN
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Adefemola Akintade quickly became blank when he learned that the Trump administration had suspended processing of foreign student visas. “I don’t know what to do, this is something I’ve always wanted for a long time,” she told CNN with still incredible air.
Nigerian journalists were accepted by the Columbia Journalism School for their master’s degree and were at the pinnacle of applying for a US visa. “We don’t have a backup plan,” said the 31-year-old. “I put all of the eggs from Columbia in one basket. This is a very risky thing.” She is scheduled to begin her degree in New York in August. You have already paid a large registration fee.
Akintade is among thousands of people around the world when the US State Department on Tuesday instructed embassies and consulates to suspend scheduling new student visa interviews as it plans to expand its social media reviews for applicants.
This is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump White House, beginning with a continuous battle with Harvard University and then dramatically expanding its scope.
CNN spoke with affected foreign students who expressed a mix of sadness, confusion and fear about the latest developments and the sudden restraint of their lives. Many of them asked to remain anonymous, citing concerns about future retaliation and possible issues.
“It feels like a truly scary and uneasy time for international students studying in the US,” said a Canadian student, who is also accepted by Colombia. “Many of us chose to study in the US for that freedom, but now we know that innocent social media posts can cost money to education.”
Some prospective students have begun self-censorship. Another Canadian accepted to Harvard Law School told CNN that a friend who works at Capitol Hill recommended that Visa Suspension News pass a social media post shortly after Visa Suspension News broke.
“We were looking at posts from us with Pride. My caption was simply a rainbow flag, then a trance flag. And I was on the phone with her. Ultimately, I decided I could leave it, but I changed the caption and removed the trance flag,” the student said.
“I think it’s true evidence that it was a terrifying campaign that was so successful,” she said, adding that she postponed her location this year after she got a job offer. “I changed the caption, expecting it could get worse. Today is one (the problem) and tomorrow is another.”
The State Department has been requiring visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigration and non-immigration visa applications since 2019, the spokesman said. Additionally, they had already requested additional social media reviews for some applicants. This is primarily related to the suspicion of anti-Semitism. However, it is unclear what posts will be an issue in the application from now on, or how these posts will be scrutinized.
British student Conrad Kunadu said he is working on “internal conflict” over his offer to pursue a doctorate in environmental health from Johns Hopkins University after monitoring the crackdown on US universities “religiously” for the past few months.
This is the case of a French scientist who was recently denied entry into the United States, where President Donald Trump allegedly posted a message criticizing Cunadu as a “major turning point.” “I’m like, oh, amazing. Ok, no, this is potentially really bad. I don’t know if this is the environment I actually want to be,” he told CNN.
After wondering whether “something that Written in 2016” could manage the anxiety that he could deport him, Kunadu decided to stay in the UK and instead study at Oxford University. Despite being grateful for the other option, he described his situation as “loss and defeats.”
“I am not only because of my interest in health security, but because I have all the talent and resources, but because I am the best way to influence these issues on a global scale,” Kunadu said. Like many others, he has been forced to lament his academic research and progress, and may never come to fruition now.
Kunadu and another student who requested anonymity both noted that they were concerned about exploring topics of research that could be interpreted as the official feather of objections and frills.
“It’s very painful as an American to hear that,” Michael Kagan, who directs the University of Nevada immigration clinic, told CNN. “That’s not something that someone needs to worry about studying in the US…but now I think it’s completely reasonable. And if I was counselling someone, I’ll tell them, from a legal standpoint, that seems like a reasonable thing to worry about.”
Kagan described the visa suspension as “one of many attacks on higher education and immigration… two of the Trump administration’s favorite targets.” And while the directive is consistent with what the White House had already done, he sees it as an “unprecedented attack in an emergency.”
When asked whether legal measures could be used by those who accepted the university’s offer and were waiting for a visa appointment. “If someone is about to enter and they haven’t got a visa yet, then (the person) is usually hardly relying on them,” he said.
According to a report by the Institute of International Education, in grades 2023-34, more than 1.1 million international students studied at higher education institutions in the US.
The students CNN spoke to now agreed with their new reality and were trying to grasp the next step. “I still hope there will be a Supreme Court case that suddenly sees things in my favor,” Kunadu said.
Oliver Klopley, a 27-year-old UK student with a low-income background, told CNN he plans to attend Kansas for a year on a scholarship, but without a visa appointment he is no longer sure. “When you’re already down, it just feels like a kick,” he said. “Our strategy is a game on standby. We want to see if Trump backtracks.”
Canadians accepted by Harvard Law School said she was happy that the facility was opposed to the Trump administration. “The caves at Harvard, everyone is a cave, and that’s the collapse of civil society, right? Anyone who is the wealthiest institution with the highest brand awareness will collapse,” she told CNN.
For Akintade, a Nigerian journalist who always dreamed of studying at Ivy League schools, the sense of rejection by the US is heavy. “This is the message I’m getting. We don’t want you,” she sighed deeply.
Lisa Klaassen, Nimi Princewill and Quinta Thomson contributed to this report
