{"id":151970,"date":"2025-06-02T11:29:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T11:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/151970\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T11:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T11:29:13","slug":"the-dream-of-studying-in-the-united-states-has-turned-into-a-nightmare-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/151970\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The dream of studying in the United States has turned into a nightmare\u2019 | U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of Latin American students headed to the United States are feeling doubly victimized by Donald Trump\u2019s attacks these days: for being university students, and for being Latinos. Of all the battles the Republican has launched in four months, the one he\u2019s waging against universities has proven the most surprising. Economic warfare<\/a> and persecution of immigrants were part of the president\u2019s campaign promises, but no one could have predicted his interest in destroying what is widely considered the best academic environment in the world.<\/p>\n

EL PA\u00cdS spoke with four young Latin Americans who, until very recently, felt privileged. They thought they had achieved the ultimate goal: a spot among thousands of candidates from around the world, but now President Trump doesn\u2019t want them<\/a> in American classrooms. Last week, his administration ordered all embassies to cancel student visa interviews.<\/p>\n

In the 2023-2024 academic year, 1,100,000 foreigners studied at universities in the country. But Trump now dreams of a United States with fewer university students and fewer foreigners. Regarding the defunding of universities, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt tried to explain<\/a> the unexplainable a few days ago: \u201cApprentinships [sic], electricians, plumbers \u2014 we need more of those in our country, and less LGBTQ <\/b>graduate majors from Harvard University<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the students who will arrive in the United States between August and September are currently in the middle of the visa process, while others have already obtained one. But with or without a visa, they all feel singled out: they are beginning to believe they are coming to study in a country where they are no longer welcome.<\/p>\n

Manuel Beltr\u00e1n28 years old, Colombia<\/p>\n

For Manuel Beltr\u00e1n, going to study in the United States isn\u2019t an individual project. He\u2019ll be the one sitting in the classrooms at Columbia University, but his family\u2019s dream travels with him. \u201cThe effort of those of us who come from the global south is collective and familial,\u201d he says over the phone from Bogot\u00e1. Getting a spot at one of the world\u2019s most prestigious universities is an obstacle course. Beltr\u00e1n spent more than a year preparing for admission, put his career on hold, and did the math with his parents. He was clear that the experience would be worth it and would be key to his future upon his return to Colombia, where he hopes to work in public administration.<\/p>\n

These previous months should have been filled with excitement, but instead they\u2019re becoming filled with anxiety. His parents call him almost daily, and are \u201cvery scared\u201d by the news coming in daily from the United States. The latest is the cancellation of visas for Chinese students; there was also the suspension of student visa interviews<\/a>. Manuel\u2019s F-1 visa arrived just four days before that announcement. It\u2019s a relief, but it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents think even my personal safety could be at risk. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ll encounter xenophobia or exclusion; being Latino in the United States could be a problem,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n

In Trump\u2019s offensive against universities, only Harvard has spoken out and clearly opposed the government\u2019s pressure. Other institutions have opted to handle the Republican administration\u2019s demands in a more docile way to avoid further cuts to federal funding. Columbia was the first major university to suffer cuts, and funding options for international students disappeared overnight. It was the first blow for Beltr\u00e1n. Then, the possibility of a Fulbright scholarship, the emblematic federally funded study abroad program that is also a victim of the cuts, vanished. \u201cThe financial burden will be borne by my family, but now the uncertainty is whether we will even be accepted or welcomed in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Determined not to change the life plan he\u2019s invested so much in, Beltr\u00e1n is looking for accommodation in New York, where he will arrive in August. Columbia University has contacted him and the rest of the prospective students from time to time to inquire about their immigration and visa status, but not much more. \u201cI understand it\u2019s part of the American academic system: we\u2019re their clients; if someone doesn\u2019t show up, there\u2019ll be someone else in line to take their spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antay Miranda23 years old, Chile<\/p>\n

What Antay Miranda is feeling these days is anguish. With an approved scholarship to become an exchange student at San Diego State University and a plane ticket already purchased, she\u2019s just waiting for her visa. \u201cI was very excited until a week ago. But now the American dream is turning into a nightmare. I have mixed feelings. I want to be there to open new horizons, but at the same time, I feel uncertainty and fear that I might be discriminated against<\/a>,\u201d she says in a telephone conversation.<\/p>\n

Concern has grown. In Chile, the only Latin American country in the visa waiver program with the United States, there have been cases of last-minute visa revocations, as acknowledged by the Foreign Minister of Gabriel Boric\u2019s government, Alberto van Klaveren. Although Donald Trump\u2019s measures are not specifically focused on the South American country, they are beginning to affect some Chileans, including those studying at Harvard University.<\/p>\n

The latest salvo was the suspension of visas for exchange students. That\u2019s what unnerved Antay: \u201cI was surprised. I have an appointment at the U.S. Consulate in Chile next week. I don\u2019t know if they\u2019ll approve it or not. If they reject it, I\u2019ve already invested money, and it\u2019s money no one will get back for me. I regret having bought the ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antay is considering what to do next. She thinks she chose the wrong exchange destination and that it would have been better to look to Europe: \u201cI feel sorry and want to cry. I thought now was the time for the opportunity in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mar\u00edaMar\u00eda Ruiz wants to study a master’s degree in photojournalism at the International Center of Photography in New York.Mar\u00eda Ruiz31 years old, Mexican<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda believed the biggest obstacle would be financial, but since being accepted into the Master\u2019s program in Photojournalism and Documentary Film at the International Center of Photography in New York, she hasn\u2019t let the uncertainty, the anti-immigrant climate, or the latest news about the freeze on student visa appointments dampen her hopes of fulfilling her dream. \u201cI knew the immigration and visa issues had become more complicated under Trump, but I\u2019d been told that student visas were much easier,\u201d she says a day after the new measures were announced.<\/p>\n

Although she doesn\u2019t have an appointment yet because she\u2019s still in the process of obtaining her Mexican passport, she isn\u2019t giving up. \u201cThe school sent us an email saying they haven\u2019t received any notifications and that we should continue with our paperwork. They also told us that if we haven\u2019t had an appointment yet, they\u2019ll offer us a pre-appointment session to prepare. Some classmates were worried because we have to pay for the first part of the course this Saturday, but they told us that if they reject our visa, they\u2019ll refund our money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until recently, her biggest concern was finding the money to pay for the program, where she\u2019s one of only 18 people accepted from around the world out of hundreds of applications. She even opened a donation page to try to raise the $15,000 it will cost for her master\u2019s degree, but this Thursday she received the news that she\u2019ll be awarded a full scholarship. The joy is bittersweet amid so many uncertainties. Whatever happens next, she takes solace in the fact that even if she doesn\u2019t make it this year, the school will hold her spot until 2027. \u201cI think it\u2019s a time when we also have to share what\u2019s happening, right? Beyond the fear, I\u2019d like to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anonymous29 years old, Cuban<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to be Cuban and not feel worried.\u201d Although she prefers not to give her name for fear of reprisals, she doesn\u2019t want to hold back from explaining what the climate of terror Trump has created means for so many people, especially Cubans. Next academic year, this 29-year-old Cuban woman, who lives in Spain, has a spot to study for a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

She is grateful for the support of the university, which has guaranteed her position, but the fear is always there. \u201cAs a Cuban<\/a>, I feel very sad because of the feeling that freedom of expression is difficult to maintain. It makes me feel infinitely helpless to have to check my social media accounts to delete or silence any ideas that might jeopardize my admission and permanence in a doctoral program.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wants to study in the United States because she sees it as a unique opportunity, but feels constantly at risk. \u201cI still believe it\u2019s a country with many opportunities and whose universities have an academic prestige and scientific rigor that I don\u2019t think will fade so easily or in such a short time.\u201d Her plan to fly there in September remains firm, although she won\u2019t feel completely at ease now or then: \u201cBeing Cuban makes me three times more concerned and I have to act before many things happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sign up for our weekly newsletter<\/a> to get more English-language news coverage from EL PA\u00cdS USA Edition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thousands of Latin American students headed to the United States are feeling doubly victimized by Donald Trump\u2019s attacks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151971,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[29429,25911,12711,32,2132,49,64809,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-151970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-chile","9":"tag-colombia","10":"tag-cuba","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-mexico","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-universidad-harvard","15":"tag-us","16":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114613542185288953","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}