Why Trump Is Right About Student Activism in the US

America's visa vetting regime does have a point even if it alters how foreign students view the US

- MANU JOSEPH

The US wants my business, but not so much that it would make it easy for me to buy its most popular product. I have been willing to give away a portion of my savings to send my child to America as a customer of American college education. I am not a great admirer of college education anywhere. It is akin to a caste system designed to keep unlucky children out of some rooms forever. But I am an incurable admirer of the West, and of young people escaping India, even if only briefly. But now, America is too risky for foreign students.

Even if they gain admission somehow, find the money somehow, are granted a visa somehow, there is no guarantee their welcome will not be revoked. The US government has stated that it will revoke student visas for sloppy attendance. Students fear that a misdemeanour—like getting involved in a scuffle—could annul their visa. At the time of writing, the US government has announced a global pause on all student visa interviews. This, it says, is to allow officials more time to screen applicants more thoroughly, including social media scans. As a result, for the first time in decades, the young in all developing nations have been denied their American dream.

President Donald Trump wants a closer look at international students before letting them enter the US because he does not want agitators. He does have a point.