Steve Cortes, President of the League of American Workers, has expressed that Chinese nationals should not study in U.S. schools and argued that funded spots must be reserved for Americans. This statement was made on the social media platform X.
“The correct number of Chinese nationals at US schools??? Zero,” said Cortes. “Don’t educate the children of your existential enemy, many of them spies. Reserve the spots (that we fund) for Americans.”
Enrollment of Chinese nationals at U.S. universities has shifted amid rising geopolitical tensions, stricter visa scrutiny, and competition from other countries. According to the Financial Times, many Chinese students are now considering destinations like the UK and Australia as U.S. immigration policies and social-media screenings create barriers. These trends reflect broader concerns about national security and talent pipelines.
In the 2023–24 academic year, Chinese student enrollment in U.S. higher education totaled approximately 277,398, marking a 4% decline compared to the previous year. Despite this decrease, Chinese students still constitute the largest group of international students in the United States. The Los Angeles Times reported these figures using data from the Institute of International Education.
Over the past decade, there have been significant fluctuations in the number of Chinese students attending U.S. schools. Enrollment peaked at roughly 372,532 in 2019–20 before declining to 277,000 by 2023–24—a reduction of about 26%. The steepest declines occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating U.S.–China tensions. These enrollment shifts were detailed by both the Financial Times and historical data compiled by Wikipedia.
Cortes is an American political commentator and conservative activist who served as a senior adviser on Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns with a focus on Hispanic outreach. He later became a media personality frequently appearing on networks such as Fox News and went on to establish the League of American Workers, where he currently serves as president.
