International student weighs in after student visa applications paused
WHITE HAVEN, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Trump administration on Tuesday ordered a temporary pause on scheduling new student visas, and that could make a big difference in the lives of international students hoping for an education in America.
Right now, it is unclear which exact type of student visas and at what level of education this could impact.
But on Monday, 28/22 News visited a local international student who attends a Carbon County high school and hopes his experience could be shared by others and not taken away.
17-year-old Lucas Vasek is just focused on finishing out his finals for this year.
The international student from Slovakia is studying at Weatherly Area School District, and his exchange program in the United States is soon coming to an end.
'I was surrounded by lovely people that were always trying and willing to help me with most of the things that came along with my culture exchange program,' Vasek said.
His program began in September, and he says the last 10 months here in White Haven have been filled with studying, experiencing, and growing in new ways.
'I think everybody should be given the chance at least to see how it looks and how it works here,' Vasek added.
Students team up with volunteers to give Scranton splash of color
As of Tuesday, that might not be an option. The Trump administration is ordering embassies to stop scheduling appointments for student visas due to a social media screening expansion.
There are three kinds of student visas: The F-1, M-1, and J-1. It is unclear yet which visas are being halted.
'Students are here for one reason, and that is to have the American experience, what a better way for us to share our cultures and for them to go home and tell their parents about the joy they had, so why would someone want to take that away?' International Student Exchange Area Director Bonnie told 28/22 News.
Vasek came to the US through a New Jersey J-1 secondary school exchange program known as International Student Exchange (ISE), which holds a portal of more than 800 students.
PA Congressman spoke to Schuylkill County business leaders about tariffs
Bonnie, who wishes to only go by her first name for this report, is an NEPA area director with ISE. She set up Vasek's stay in the US.
'We haven't had to react yet, and we hope we don't have to react yet, and we just continue this for many years to come,' Bonnie explained.
According to the Associated Press, the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews.
Vasek's glad he's already had his experience, but hopes that other students like him wishing to study in America can have a similar experience.
'The exchange program doesn't just give you that experience with people, but it gives you a life experience you will be able to use later on in real life,' Vasek stated.
The pause will last 'until further guidance' is issued in the next few days.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
19 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Transcript of Trump's speech on US strikes on Iran
WASHINGTON (AP) — A transcript of President Donald Trump's speech on U.S. airstrikes on Iran on Saturday as transcribed by The Associated Press: Thank you very much. A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive, precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime. Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan. Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not. Future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier. For 40 years, Iran has been saying. Death to America, death to Israel. They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs, with roadside bombs. That was their specialty. We lost over 1,000 people and hundreds of thousands throughout the Middle East, and around the world have died as a direct result of their hate in particular. So many were killed by their general, Qassim Soleimani. I decided a long time ago that I would not let this happen. It will not continue. I want to thank and congratulate Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel. I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done. And most importantly, I want to congratulate the great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United States military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that's so. I also want to congratulate the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan 'Razin' Caine, spectacular general, and all of the brilliant military minds involved in this attack. With all of that being said, this cannot continue. There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes. There's no military in the world that could have done what we did tonight. Not even close. There has never been a military that could do what took place just a little while ago. Tomorrow, General Caine, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will have a press conference at 8 a.m. at the Pentagon. And I want to just thank everybody. And, in particular, God. I want to just say, we love you, God, and we love our great military. Protect them. God bless the Middle East. God bless Israel and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you.
San Francisco Chronicle
19 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's move against Iran may draw more criticism from MAGA's anti-interventionists
President Donald Trump's decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran could deepen a divide among some of the Republican's supporters, including high-profile backers who had said any such move would run counter to the anti-interventionism he promised to deliver. Notably though, immediately following Trump's Saturday announcement of the strike, some of those who had publicly spoken out against U.S. involvement voiced their support. The lead-up to the move against Iranian nuclear sites had exposed fissures within Trump's 'Make American Great Again' base as some of that movement's most vocal leaders, with large followings of their own, expressed deep concern about the prospect of U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war. With the president barred from seeking a third term, what remains unknown is how long-lasting the schism could be for Trump and his current priorities, as well as the overall future of his 'America First' movement. Among the surrogates who spoke out against American involvement were former senior adviser Steve Bannon, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., commentator Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point. Part of their consternation was rooted in Trump's own vocalized antipathy for what he and others have termed the 'forever wars' fomented in previous administrations. As the possibility of military action neared, some of those voices tamped down their rhetoric. According to Trump, Carlson even called to 'apologize.' Steve Bannon On Wednesday, Bannon, one of top advisers in Trump's 2016 campaign, told an audience in Washington that bitter feelings over Iraq were a driving force for Trump's first presidential candidacy and the MAGA movement. "One of the core tenets is no forever wars,' Bannon said. But the longtime Trump ally, who served a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, went on to suggest that Trump will maintain loyalty from his base no matter what. On Wednesday, Bannon acknowledged that while he and others will argue against military intervention until the end, 'the MAGA movement will back Trump.' Ultimately, Bannon said that Trump would have to make the case to the American people if he wanted to get involved in Iran. 'We don't like it. Maybe we hate it,' Bannon said, predicting what the MAGA response would be. 'But, you know, we'll get on board.' Tucker Carlson The commentator's rhetoric toward Trump was increasingly critical. Carlson, who headlined large rallies with the Republican during the 2024 campaign, earlier this month suggested that the president's posture was breaking his pledge to keep the U.S. out of new foreign entanglements. Trump clapped back at Carlson on social media, calling him 'kooky.' During an event at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said that Carlson had 'called and apologized' for calling him out. Trump said Carlson 'is a nice guy.' Carlson's conversation with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that day laid bare the divides among many Republicans. The two sparred for two hours over a variety of issues, primarily about possible U.S. involvement in Iran. Carlson accused Cruz of placing too much emphasis on protecting Israel in his foreign policy worldview. 'You don't know anything about Iran,' Carlson said to Cruz, after the senator said he didn't know Iran's population or its ethnic composition. 'You're a senator who's calling for the overthrow of a government, and you don't know anything about the country.' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene The Georgia Republican, who wore the signature red MAGA cap for Democratic President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in 2024, publicly sided with Carlson, criticizing Trump for deriding 'one of my favorite people.' Saying the former Fox News commentator 'unapologetically believes the same things I do,' Greene wrote on X this past week that those beliefs include that 'foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction.' 'That's not kooky,' Greene added, using the same word Trump used to describe Carlson. 'That's what millions of Americans voted for. It's what we believe is America First.' About an hour before Trump's announcement, Greene posted on X that, 'Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war.' 'This is not our fight,' she added. 'Peace is the answer.' In another post following Trump's announcement, Greene urged, 'Let us all join together and pray for peace." Alex Jones The far-right conspiracy theorist and Infowars host posted on social media earlier in the week a side-by-side of Trump's official presidential headshot and an artificial intelligence-generated composite of Trump and former Republican President George W. Bush. Trump and many of his allies have long disparaged Bush for involving the United States in the 'forever wars' in Iraq and Afghanistan. Writing 'What you voted for' above Trump's image and 'What you got' above the composite, Jones added: 'I hope this is not the case…' Charlie Kirk Kirk is among those who seemed to have made a quick about-face. About an hour after Trump's announcement, Kirk posted a series of messages on social media supportive of Trump, saying Iran had given the president 'no choice.' Kirk praised Trump for acting 'with prudence and decisiveness" and 'for the betterment of humanity.' Kirk also reposted a 2011 tweet in which Trump had written that 'Iran's quest for nuclear weapons is a major threat to our nation's national security interests. We can't allow Iran to go nuclear.' 'When Trump speaks, you should listen,' Kirk added. It was a different tone from the start of the week, when Kirk said in a Fox News interview that 'this is the moment that President Trump was elected for.' But he had warned of a potential MAGA divide over Iran. Days later, Kirk said that 'Trump voters, especially young people, supported President Trump because he was the first president in my lifetime to not start a new war.' He also wrote that 'there is historically little support for America to be actively engaged in yet another offensive war in the Middle East. We must work for and pray for peace.'
Miami Herald
27 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Trump says US carried out attack on three nuclear sites in Iran
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the United States has carried out an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran, including the Fordow uranium enrichment facility. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan," Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social later shared by the White House. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home," he said. "Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this." The U.S. president went on to say that "NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!" The Fordow uranium enrichment facility is widely believed to be one of Israel's most critical targets in its ongoing conflict with Iran. Israel was informed in advance of the U.S. strike on Iran, according to the Israeli army radio station, which cited Israeli officials. The usually well-informed Israeli journalist Barak Ravid also reported on X that US B-2 stealth bombers were used in the operation, citing a senior Israeli official. B-2 stealth bombers, which only the US military has, are the only aircraft capable of dropping the 13.6-ton "bunker buster" bomb. This has been the focus of attention for days because, according to experts, only this weapon has a chance of destroying Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow. Trump had said on Thursday that he would decide within the following two weeks on possible U.S. involvement in the hostilities between Israel and Iran, which started just more than a week ago. On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post had reported, citing government officials and flight tracking services, that several US B-2 stealth bombers had left Whiteman Air Force Base in the state of Missouri and headed west across the Pacific Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported that this was a sign that the U.S. government was positioning the stealth bombers in case of a possible attack on Iran. However, government officials had said that there had been no order to prepare for an attack. Israel says its campaign launched on June 13 is aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon - a charge that Tehran has consistently denied, saying its nuclear program only serves civilian purposes. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
