'I don’t want to destroy...': Trump’s major remark on foreign students in the US amid visa crackdown

Defending the practice of allowing foreign students to study in the United States, US President Donald Trump described it as highly advantageous for business and significant for maintaining the financial health of the country's higher education system.

Trump warned in an interview with Fox News that cutting international student enrollment could financially hurt American universities, which depend heavily on tuition fees from overseas students.

“You don’t want to eliminate half of the students coming from all over the world and destroy our entire university and college system—I don’t want to do that. I believe it’s beneficial to have international students. I want to get along with the world," Trump said.

Foreign students contribute “trillions of dollars" to US: Trump

He cautioned that a sharp decline in students from countries like China forces numerous US colleges to shut down. In addition, Trump highlighted that foreign students contribute “trillions of dollars" to the US economy and pay over twice the tuition of domestic students. “I want our education system to thrive," Trump said, adding, “It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business," Trump added.

His remarks, however, contrast with past policies under his administration, which enforced stricter measures against international students, including visa revocations and deportations of those involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

When questioned about the reduction in foreign enrolment that could create more and better opportunities for the students of the US, Trump refuted the claim and argued that such a measure would negatively impact smaller colleges and historically Black universities that depended on international tuition. “Half of the US colleges would go out of business if we cut that in half," he further added.

Several months ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed the US embassies to temporarily suspend student visa interviews before allowing them to restart with more stringent screening.