(Dan Tri) – Nine Chinese students studying abroad at the University of Arizona were denied entry to the US when they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport last month and school officials are demanding to know why.
Chinese students graduated from Columbia University in May 2015 (Illustration photo: Xinhua)
According to Tribune, the students were detained at Los Angeles airport just days before classes began on August 22 and planned to go to the University of Arizona (ASU) campus in the Phoenix area, school officials said.
Meanwhile, school officials said the students are eligible to enter the school and the United States under previously issued visas.
A CBP spokesperson said in a statement that there are more than 60 reasons why foreign nationals can be denied entry, including reasons related to health, criminal status,
The statement said the Chinese students appeared to have been denied entry `based on information discovered during a CBP inspection,` but did not give details.
A US State Department spokesperson did not comment and referred all questions to CBP.
A University of Arizona official said all of the students denied entry were undergraduates and that among them were at least one engineer, one student studying supply chain management and several other students.
ASU President Michael Crow last week sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State asking to review each student’s case and provide an explanation of the standard regulations for vetting international students.
The University of Arizona has about 13,000 international students, about 3,400 of whom are from China.
Many schools encountered difficulties with US government policies
The ASU students’ case comes as universities across the United States are struggling with the federal government’s policies and actions toward international students.
On August 23, a Palestinian student planning to study at Harvard University was denied entry at Logan International Airport in Massachusetts.
The University of California system, which receives billions of dollars in federal investment and has the largest number of Chinese students and scholars in the US, is also stuck in President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.
Campuses from San Diego to Berkeley have reported visa delays for Chinese students and scholars or increased scrutiny over their research activities, and new restrictions.
According to Tribune, in general, the number of student visas issued by the US State Department has decreased sharply over the past three years.
Peaceful
According to Tribune
Nick John