U.S. Vice President JD Vance has warned that foreign students could face deportation if their stay is deemed against national interest. He argues international students take university spots from Americans and hints at stricter policies under Trump. Nigerians, among top enrollees, may be impacted as deportation efforts increase.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has declared that foreign students could face deportation if their presence is deemed contrary to the country’s best interests. Speaking in an interview with Fox News on Thursday night, Vance reinforced the Trump administration’s tough stance on immigration, signaling a potential crackdown on international students.
Vance stated that the administration is set to increase deportation numbers, emphasizing that President Donald Trump has been "impatient" with the process. While the focus has largely been on illegal migration, the vice president confirmed that legally admitted foreign students would not be exempt.
“This is not fundamentally about free speech,” Vance said. “Yes, it’s about national security, but it’s also about who we, as Americans, decide gets to be part of our national community.”
The vice president suggested that decisions on student visa holders would rest with the secretary of state and the president. “If they determine that a person shouldn’t be in America and has no legal right to stay, it’s as simple as that,” he added.
Beyond national security, Vance raised concerns about foreign students allegedly occupying spaces in top-tier universities at the expense of American applicants.
“A lot of these foreign students, most of them, pay full freight,” he said. “So at elite universities like Columbia or Harvard, you have a well-qualified middle-class American kid who doesn’t get a spot because some Chinese oligarch, paying $100,000 a year, takes up that spot.”
He argued that this issue goes beyond security concerns, impacting the American dream for students who struggle to secure admission to prestigious institutions.
The potential crackdown could significantly impact Nigerian students, who are among the largest groups of international enrollees in U.S. universities.
According to a U.S. government report, Nigeria ranked seventh globally in student enrollments during the 2023/2024 academic session, with 20,029 students in American institutions. In 2021, Nigeria held the 11th spot on the list of top student source countries, making it Africa’s leading contributor.
The U.S. recently saw a surge in foreign student enrollments, partly due to stricter visa restrictions in the UK, Canada, and Australia. However, Vance’s remarks suggest that the U.S. could soon implement its curbs, potentially making it harder for Nigerian and other international students to study in the country.
With growing concerns over immigration and national security, the fate of thousands of foreign students in the U.S. remains uncertain as the Trump administration pushes for tougher policies.
