Uprooted from Korea, raised in Cupertino, sent back across the Pacific only to return a decade later — all of it felt worth it, if it meant that I would finally be able to make a life for myself in the U.S. The American Dream carried me through it all. Like many other international students, I built my life around the promise of opportunity and the belief that anyone can pursue a life in America through perseverance.
But today, the dream seems further out of reach than ever for us. The gates to belonging are closing before our eyes. A nation founded on the promise of reinvention, established by immigrants who forcibly seized and reshaped this land, now seems intent on trimming back its vision of equal opportunity. By cherry-picking those he deems fit to be American, President Trump is bastardizing the American Dream for international students.
My Precarious, Uncertain Life as an International Student
As an international student, I hold an F-1 visa that permits me to stay in the United States for the duration of my undergraduate university studies. Post-graduation, I’m permitted to seek employment to further my stay in the country during my Optional Practical Training (OPT) period, during which I have only three chances — which would have been one, if not for my STEM double major — to enter the H1B visa lottery and secure long-term employment. In other words, my hopes and dreams hinge on luck alone, not merit. So it’s quite unsettling that the most anti-immigration president in recent history is somehow back in the White House — and more hell-bent than ever on imposing his will.
My Savior, Donald Trump?!
…Or so I thought.
Last year, Trump proposed granting green cards to all international students who complete their undergraduate studies at American universities. In hindsight, it was a throwaway statement on a podcast, but it was enough to give me hope. My newfound optimism grew with Trump’s public approval of the H1B program. Suddenly, it seemed like I had a better chance to truly become “American.” I would soon come to realize how painfully naïve I was.
On Day 1 of his second term, President Trump issued Executive Order 14161, aimed at protecting the US from non-citizens — or aliens, as he likes to put it — with terrorist intentions. In practice, USCIS moved forward with vetting non-citizens’ social media accounts for “anti-American activity.” This order was not simply red tape; it added an ideological filter to the process that determines whether someone is admitted, denied, or deported from the country. It set the tone for more ominous developments to come.
Trump quickly doubled down by issuing Executive Order 14188, most notably directing federal agencies to deport non-citizen participants of protests deemed antisemitic. Under these terms, Trump began his siege against international students involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy, citing “support for terrorism” under the Immigration and Nationality Act when revoking roughly 200 to 300 student visas. The arrest and attempted deportation of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil (legal permanent resident) sent shockwaves throughout the international student community and displayed Trump’s willingness to blatantly violate non-citizens’ First Amendment rights in favor of his “anti-terrorist” agenda. Apparently, taking a stand against the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians is enough to qualify as support for terrorism — and more alarmingly, as grounds for deportation.
Fair and Equal Opportunity
All in all, Trump has already sharpened his scissors, ready to cut the final thread by which the American Dream hangs for hundreds of thousands of international students. What was already an uncertain prospect is seemingly slipping further away, leaving us dejected and disillusioned with the very values that we wish to pursue. From “non-citizen” to “alien,” the rebranding was subtle, but the message is loud and clear. We’ve heard the tagline “America First” enough to understand where Trump stands — we’re not as welcome as we thought we were, and the policy proves it.
The people have spoken: Trump’s platform won him 215 million votes across three elections and the White House twice. But that doesn’t mean MAGA gets the last word. If he wants skilled immigrants, there are plenty, but he has to provide us a fair chance. Behind the facade of “protecting America” and “abolishing antisemitism” lie further barriers separating the American Dream and those eager to chase it. The president’s intentions remain ambiguous at best, stirring uncertainty and stress for the 1.1 million here on student visas. What can be said for sure, however, is that international students have much to offer to the United States.
As of late 2024, international students were projected to contribute $43.8 billion to the US economy, a record high of economic activity total. Our travel costs alone account for $54.84 billion, ranking 7th among service exports in 2024. We dominate many STEM-graduate fields, with 73 percent of this group remaining in the U.S. after acquiring their doctorates to fuel labs and industry. More than half of American startups valued at $1 billion or more were founded by immigrants, many of whom established their businesses through the student visa and H1B pipeline. And now, the US economy is projected to suffer a staggering $7 billion loss after the enrollment losses incurred by Trump’s actions. You can see how I’m struggling to understand how applying extra pressure on international students is putting “America first.”
The Shining City
The late president Ronald Reagan had a few choice words to say about immigrants and what America should embody for them:
“I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.”
As I wrote this article, I found myself becoming increasingly cautious of voicing my opinions — something that I never expected to be of concern in a country that prides itself on the right of free speech. But silence, especially in such uncertain times, is far from the answer. It’s time for international students to speak up on just how far the American Dream has fallen. In his misguided efforts to put America first, Trump is doing away with what makes America great in the first place: the ideal of self-realization for all. The lights of the shining city are dimming, and the gates are slowly closing, spelling the beginning of the end for the American Dream.
Featured Image Source: BBC
