Latest news with #AmericanDream
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
New Yorkers might vote for a socialist mayor, but a Muslim?
When hijacked airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in 2001, New York's popular mayoral candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani was just 9 years old. On that otherwise bluebird day, he had been in the United States only two years, after moving to New York with his parents from Kampala, Uganda. Seventeen years later, he became an American citizen, after completing a degree in Africana studies at Bowdoin College.
The Hindu
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Indian students and the death of the American Dream
Kabir has spent the past few months running. Every morning, before the California sun begins to glare on the cracked sidewalks, he slips on his shoes and bolts out the door. The run, he says, is what keeps him sane. 'It's the only time I can make a plan. What to say to the lawyer. Which papers to organise. Who to call for help.' How not to fall apart. Kabir (name changed on request), who had arrived from Pune to study at the University of California, had his student visa revoked along with thousands of others across the country. The email had come without warning. It had given him no time to prepare. Just a sudden vanishing of the ground beneath his feet. He hasn't stopped running since. 'I got this news on April 2, just a day after Eid. I had wanted to go home, but couldn't in these circumstances,' he says. And now, it may be a long while before he can. His Eid kurta and suit are still on the hanger, waiting to be worn. His apartment still carries the remnants of a celebration that didn't last. A few half-deflated balloons cling to the ceiling — a bittersweet memory, as just a few days before his visa revocation, he had won the H-1B lottery (a random selection process by which a limited number of H-1B visas are allotted every year). In the weeks that followed, Kabir's days became a blur — mornings on the pavement, afternoons in legal and immigration offices, evenings in community centres where other students like him sat huddled on plastic chairs, comparing legal notes, wondering what they had done wrong. Each time, the same questions, the same uncertainty, hung like static in the air. 'I run, I walk, I travel. Anything to escape my thoughts,' says Kabir. And yet, they are everywhere. In the faces of the other students who are caught in the same dragnet. In a mural stretched across a wall in Los Angeles that says, 'My brother and I are my parents' American Dream.' In the eye of the storm Kabir's story is not his alone. Thousands like Kabir have been left in limbo, their futures upended by the shifting tides of immigration law and political mood in the United States. In March, the Trump administration announced that it was cancelling $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University 'due to the school's continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students' and other alleged violations. Similar action was also directed against other Ivy League institutions such as Cornell, UPenn, Harvard, Brown, and Princeton. More than 1,800 students from nearly 250 colleges in the U.S. have had their visas revoked and their SEVIS records terminated without notice or due process. The American Immigration Lawyers Association estimates that 50% of those affected are from India. 'We are seeing many Indian students being targeted: Megha Vemuri and Prahlad Iyengar of MIT, Ranjani Srinivasan of Columbia, Badar Khan Suri of Georgetown University. This has had a chilling effect on the psyche of Indian students. They are carrying passports from the dorm to the classroom, which is not something typical. They are having conversations around what to do if ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] shows up on campus,' says Akil Kasubhai, an alumnus of the University of Michigan and co-president of SAATH, a community that empowers South Asian youth to drive political change. What began as visa revocations of students who participated in or supported pro-Palestine protests had metastasised by April. Suddenly, hundreds of international students had their visas revoked. Denying student visas based on social media vetting is the latest step in this quickly unravelling saga. Rohan Soni, an alumnus of Columbia University and co-president of SAATH, says it is unfortunate that Indian students are targeted when they really just want to focus on their education. 'Most Indian students are quite reserved when it comes to politics. They keep a low profile so that they can get their degrees, join the workforce, and make a better life for themselves,' he says. 'We are seeing many Indian students being targeted. This has had a chilling effect on their psyche. They are going from dorm to classroom carrying their passports.'Akil KasubhaiUniversity of Michigan alumnus and co-president of SAATH A larger ideological campaign The Trump administration's move to ban international students has been unfolding alongside a systematic rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the country. In January 2025, an executive order directed all federally funded institutions to terminate all race- or gender-based diversity programmes, claiming they were in violation of meritocratic ideals and civil rights law. Soon after the order, the Department of Education launched investigations into 45 colleges for 'race-exclusionary practices'. The Department of Homeland Security also imposed stricter limitations on student visas: narrower Optional Practical Training (OPT) eligibility, intensive background checks, and increased scrutiny of STEM graduates, most of whom are from countries like India and China. Solidarity with Harvard The cloudy skies on Harvard's graduation day on May 29 were not new for Boston summer. But the bright blue globes held against the darkening sky were. These globes belonged to Harvard graduates who had raised them as a sign of solidarity with the international student body at the institution. Alan Garber, president of Harvard, echoed the sentiment as he opened his speech: 'To the class of 2025, from down the street, across the country, and around the world. Around the world — just as it should be.' As his words drew a standing ovation, just eight kilometres away, a judge was working to extend a court order allowing Harvard to enrol international students. Only a week earlier, on May 22, the Department of Homeland Security had revoked that ability. This had come on the heels of billions frozen in funding by the government and threats to strip Harvard of accreditation and tax-exempt status. The administration cited concerns over campus activism and alleged antisemitism. Even as Harvard fought back, arguing that these were retaliatory moves undermining institutional autonomy and academic freedom, Trump issued another proclamation on June 4 barring Harvard-bound international students for six months. This time, when the federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to halt enforcement, she also acknowledged 'immediate and irreparable injury' — a phrase that is more than just legalese for the thousands of international students caught in the dragnet. According to the Community Explainer by the South Asian American Policy Working Group, a network of organisations that address policy issues affecting South Asian communities, 'More than 1,800 students from nearly 250 colleges have had their visas revoked and their SEVIS records terminated without notice or due process. Only about half of them received actual notice of their visa revocations, so many might not even be aware of their visa termination.' SEVIS, or the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, keeps an electronic record of the immigration status of international students and exchange visitors. 'A lot of students got nervous and self-deported. Who knows when they will be able to come back now. At the same time, there are others who are not leaving the U.S. for that very reason. It is a double-edged sword. They are afraid to go, they are afraid to stay.'Sonjui KumarChair of Board, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (one of the organisations advocating for students' rights in Georgia) Indian students have been hit the hardest All these changes in the past few months, however, have not impacted all international students equally. Indian students, the largest single group of foreign students in the United States, have been hit especially hard. The American Immigration Lawyers Association estimates that 50% of those affected are from India. In this climate of uncertainty, international students find themselves in the crosshairs. Kabir says there was no explanation given when his visa was revoked. 'We were left to guess what the issue could be.' In some cases, visas were revoked because of a late fee payment, a long-forgotten speeding ticket, or an old address not updated in time. He remembers one Indian student who had his visa revoked because of a fine for catching the wrong-sized fish. 'The most serious infraction by an Indian student that I came across was a DUI [driving under the influence],' says Kabir. Normally, minor infractions don't result in visa revocation, according to Atlanta-based Sarah Hawk, Partner & Chair of Immigration and Global Mobility at Barnes & Thornburg, a business law firm. In the case of these students, often the infractions happened a long time ago and were never proven. 'South Asians, of whom Indians are the largest number, tend to be more racially profiled,' says Kalpana V. Peddibhotla, Executive Director of California-based South Asian American Justice Collaborative. 'One of my clients, an Indian student, was once arrested on false allegations by a security officer at the mall. The police officer who arrested him found no evidence of wrongdoing. Yet, this student, who went on to graduate and do his OPT training, suddenly had his visa revoked after all these years. It has cost him his entire career, just as it is costing so many other students the same way,' she adds. These crackdowns have also raised concerns about surveillance and due process. Suneeta Dewan, a New York-based immigration lawyer, says that social media vetting has left most students confused. 'It's very random, very arbitrary. Students are worried and are asking if they should self-deport. They don't know what could get them into trouble.' Kabir says he has not met any of the students whose visas were revoked because of social media posts. 'People say they have gone underground.' In this atmosphere, for Kabir and other Indian students, even running everyday errands has turned into an act of vigilance. Every time they are outside and see a police car, someone always jokes, 'Hey, is that ICE?' And then they all go quiet. 'This is being used not necessarily to vet out security threats, but to enforce an agenda of reducing the number of international students from India,' says Peddibhotla. Susan Kerley, therapist and Clinical Director at Marietta Counseling for Children and Adults, Georgia, warns of life-altering trauma to students. 'Imagine going through this as a young adult in a foreign country where you no longer know whom or what you can trust. The changing rules have created uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. The students haven't changed; the rules have. It is disempowering,' she says. 'I would encourage students to think of the history of visa — who is included and who is excluded in these parameters. I think of this as an opportunity to understand our relationship to history and to the civil rights movement .'Swati BakreMentor, The Family Institute at Northwestern University Legal battlegrounds Some students are actively resisting civil rights rollbacks. Nationwide, they have filed over 65 lawsuits, of which they have secured temporary relief in 35. In Georgia, for instance, 133 students had their visas reinstated. Kabir is one of the students who got his visa reinstated in California. 'It happened out of the blue. They said there had been a mistake.' He is still reeling from the impact of what had happened. 'I was getting ready to leave the country. I had discussed who would take on my house sublease, who would get my furniture, who would take care of my plants. It was just a matter of boarding a flight,' he says. But the struggle is far from over. 'I can't leave the U.S. for now,' says Kabir. Once a visa is revoked, even reinstatement does not guarantee re-entry. 'Even though the courts have addressed the issue in some cases where the visas were revoked, if you have a student visa that was cancelled, you can't leave and then come back,' says Nisha Karnani, Partner at Georgia-based Antonini & Cohen Immigration Law Group. Kabir says there are many who did not get their visa reinstated. They packed in a hurry, booked the cheapest flight home, and were gone, leaving behind their hard work, their dreams, their investment. Hawk's business client had someone on a student visa who had his status revoked and had to leave for India. Later, he received a notification that they had made a mistake. But the damage had already been done. 'Now he has to get another visa appointment and a visa stamp for F-1 to enter,' she says. 'South Asians, of whom Indians are the largest number, tend to be more racially profiled. This (the crackdown) is being used not necessarily to vet out security threats, but to enforce an agenda of reducing the number of international students from India.'Kalpana V. PeddibhotlaExecutive Director of California-based South Asian American Justice Collaborative American Dream no more? At over 27% — 4.2 lakh in total — Indians form the largest group of international students in the U.S., as per a 2024 report by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Following the upheavals in the system, however, the picture seems to be changing dramatically. 'I ran an analysis that compares SEVIS data from March 2024 and March 2025. The most dramatic shift is the 27.9% decline in Indian students,' writes Chris R. Glass, Professor of Practice in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Boston College, on his Substack. That's almost one lakh fewer Indian students who have chosen the U.S. as their education destination in 2025. 'There is a massive shift in the mentality of international students; they feel less comfortable coming to the U.S.,' says Soni of SAATH. As Indians look to other countries for higher education opportunities, it's not just a loss for students but also for the United States. 'International students boost the U.S. economy,' reminds immigration attorney Karnani. According to College Board, a 120-year-old U.S.-based non-profit that pioneered the SAT and AP tests, the average tuition and fees for an undergraduate student are $30,780 in public institutions and $43,350 in private institutions, not including the standard cost of living of $10,000-$25,000 per year. During the 2023-24 school year, 1.1 million international students contributed nearly $44 billion to the U.S. economy, as per NAFSA: Association of International Educators. At 27%, Indian students contributed almost $12 billion to that amount. Not only do the students bring in money, they also produce some of their best work here. 'International students are a huge part of industry and innovation in the country,' says Kesubhai. Emerging as new favourites among Indian students are France, New Zealand, Germany, Bangladesh, Russia, Ireland, and Uzbekistan, according to a report by Arpan Tulsyan, Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. She writes, 'For Indian middle-class families, sending a child to the U.S. involves several years of savings — with costs ranging between ₹3.5 million and ₹5 million annually. Any uncertainty for visa approval or the work authorisation process turns U.S. education into a high-risk investment, significantly altering the family's cost-benefit analysis.' Learnings from a crisis The visa ban may be legally contested, but the intent behind it lingers as the aftershock of a political earthquake. Swati Bakre is a trauma-informed clinician. She is also an educator and mentor at The Family Institute of Northwestern University. She says, 'I would encourage students to think of the history of visa — who is included and who is excluded in these parameters. I think of this as an opportunity to understand our relationship to history and to the civil rights movement because the present moment does not stand in isolation from the past.' For international students, their futures are held hostage to an ideological war they did not start. A war that is no longer just about policy. It is about who gets to belong. Who gets to learn. Who gets to dream in a language not their own. It is also about the purpose of education in America and whether institutions like Harvard can continue to be spaces for freedom, debate, and plurality in a time when those very ideals are being recast as threats. Bakre says, 'I would like to validate the anxiety that these students are feeling. But I would also ask them to take perspective, realign, and think of the best way to make an impact in this world. This crisis could be an opportunity for them to be really conscious of what they want to do and why, what they are looking for from an education in the U.S., and whether their goals are being met in this environment.' Kabir says his mother breaks down on every phone call. 'My family background is in the Indian Navy. I get support from my brother and father. But it's hard for my mother. My nephews and nieces also tell me, 'Come home, Chachu'.' But it will be a while before Kabir can come home to his family. In this environment, the waiting room has shifted. It is no longer outside the U.S. embassy in Delhi or beneath the blinking screens at JFK International Airport. It now resides inside the body. Indian students in the United States know this space well. It follows them from campus hallways to summer sublets. They wait. For visa reinstatements. For legal appointments. For someone in the administration to see them not as a number but as a name. They wait to be home as they dream of an Indian summer while being stuck on American soil. They wait for mango season and for a world that will let them taste it. The writer is a USC Annenberg Fellow for Writing and Community Storytelling, and deputy editor of the U.S.-based Khabar magazine.
Malaysian Reserve
13 hours ago
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Honors Juneteenth by Celebrating Economic Justice Partners and a Legacy of Community Empowerment
WASHINGTON, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In commemoration of Juneteenth, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated hosted a virtual Economic Justice Town Hall on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, honoring the trailblazing vision of its Five Founders and the enduring legacy of Dr. Opal Lee—known as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth' and a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta. The Town Hall highlighted the Sorority's commitment to economic empowerment and featured a robust discussion on community-driven resources and opportunities made possible through Zeta's longstanding partnerships. 'Our Economic Justice Town Hall was both a tribute to Dr. Opal Lee's historic contributions and a call to action,' said Dr. Stacie NC Grant, International President and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. 'Juneteenth is more than a holiday. It's a reminder of the work still needed to dismantle systemic barriers to equity. Economic justice is essential to achieving the American Dream, and it will take all of us working together to eliminate disparities in areas like employment, housing, healthcare access, and financial literacy.' Throughout the event, Zeta leaders celebrated a range of strategic alliances that strengthen the Sorority's ability to deliver internal and community-based economic resources through the Sorority's Signature Initiative established in 2022, Women Who initiative supports small business owners in creating generational wealth through entrepreneurship. Honored partners included: Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Dfree Movement The BOSS Network National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) World of Money The Sorority's partnership with WBENC, a first of its kind within National PanHellenic Council organizations, advances opportunities for women entrepreneurs through business certification, mentorship, and scalable development programs. Zeta also showcased another first, with theirncollaboration with NAREB, aimed at equipping aspiring homeowners with tools and knowledge to navigate and access the real estate market. Leaders from The BOSS Network, Dfree Movement and World of Money emphasized the importance of financial education and how partnerships like these are critical to advancing economic equity in Black and Brown communities. The full Economic Justice Town Hall is available for viewing on Zeta Phi Beta Sorority's official YouTube channel: About Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated:Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on January 16, 1920, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The organization's principles, Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, and Finer Womanhood, guide its members in uplifting communities and creating positive change. With a legacy of excellence, Zeta Phi Beta continues to impact lives through its diverse philanthropic efforts and dedication to empowering women worldwide.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Is the American Dream still alive today?
Whether a person grew up in a crowded tenement building, at the end of a dusty road in farm country, or traveled over land and sea to get there, the promise of America was always a better life for its striving workers — and especially their children. That was the dream. Today there is widespread skepticism among the public that the American Dream — however they personally define it — is still possible. For many, the notion that hard work can reliably lift people up and that the next generation will be financially better off is simply a relic of the past. But what's the reality? Take our quiz and test your knowledge of the facts. ✓ Check Yourself The Post partnered with Gapminder, a Swedish nonprofit, to survey 600 people ages 18 to 65. The sample was balanced to reflect U.S. demography. 1 of 5 In the U.S. in 1970, around 90% of 30-year-olds earned more money than their parents had at about the same age. What is that number for the 30-year-olds of today? Around 30% Around 50% Around 70% Story continues below advertisement Advertisement 2 of 5 Around 40% of Black children born into poverty in the U.S. in 1978 remained in poverty as adults. What was this number for Black adults born in 1992? Around 30% Around 50% Around 70% 3 of 5 What factor do researchers think is the top predictor of whether a person who is born into a low-income family becomes middle class in the U.S.? Working close to home Having high-income friends More available jobs Two chairs in Hawthorne — a quiet, suburban-feeling neighborhood that sits north of Friendship Heights and Chevy Chase — on June 21, 2019, in D.C. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) 4 of 5 What share of adults under 50 in the U.S. say they have either achieved the American Dream or on their way to achieving it? Around 25% Around 45% Around 65% 5 of 5 Where in the U.S. are children born into poor families more likely to be upwardly mobile and earn more than their parents as adults? Northeast (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) Midwest (Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska) Pacific West (California, Oregon, Washington) 0 of 5 Your score:
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Trump's foreign student crackdown: Brain drain or global gain?
The American Dream has been a driving force for thousands of youngsters from developing countries, across the globe. However, under Trump 2.0 what is now being witnessed is the American urge to tie sovereign concerns with education. An example of this is from May this year, when the Trump administration announced sweeping policy changes to revoke visas for Chinese students, targeting those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or those studying in critical fields like STEM courses. Students from other countries as well have been at the receiving end of policy changes under Trump 2.0, as US embassies have been directed to stop processing visas for new students. The directives have come as the government prepares to implement comprehensive social media screening for all international applicants after incidents in Harvard, that followed pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations last year. President Trump has often described top American Universities as havens for 'Marxist maniacs and lunatics'. Thus, there are two dominant issues here, at hand which seem to be driving the administrative changes in the US towards education for foreign students. The first issue is that of the People's Republic of China using students for purposes of espionage, which the US administration has zero tolerance for. While the issue has become a flashpoint in 2025, then FBI director, Christopher Wray had told a Senate hearing in 2018 that what was being witnessed was 'non-traditional collectors (of intelligence), especially in academic setting', and that every Chinese student who is sent by China has to go through a party and a government approval process. Thus, this ensures that no Chinese student who goes abroad is untethered from the State. In 2020, under Trump 1.0, the administration had started selectively revoking visas for Chinese graduate students with ties to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) institutions and the Biden administration had expanded the security. In June this year, Yunqing Jian, a Chinese student at the University of Michigan, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly smuggling fusarium graminearum, a dangerous biological pathogen into the US. The fungus is toxic to humans as well as livestock and causes significant crop damage as well. Jian, who had received funding from the Chinese government for her work on the pathogen in China has been charged with illegally importing biological pathogens. Her ties to the CCP are being scrutinised. Her partner, Zunyong Liu has also been charged with the smuggling. These are not lone incidents. In 2018, Li Chaoqun who studied electrical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, was arrested, and convicted in 2022, for acting as an illegal agent of China's ministry of state security. Ji had been tasked with gathering biographical information on US-based engineers and scientists, including those working for defence contractors, to recruit them as spies for China. He had also lied about his contacts with the Chinese intelligence in his US Army Reserves Application, and in 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison. In 2024, Fengyun Shi, a 26-year-old graduate at the University of Minnesota, pleaded guilty to misdemeanour espionage charges under the Espionage Act. He had used a drone to take photos of US naval facilities near Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, which is a site for manufacturing nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers. Shi was sentenced to six months in prison and deported to China after his visa was revoked. Sun Tzu's Art of War, China's ancient treatise on statecraft and warfare emphasises intelligence gathering as critical to military success, with spies being a cost-efficient way to outmanoeuvre enemies without direct conflict. He had identified five types of spies, ranging from local spies, inward spies, converted spies, doomed spies and surviving spies. In the current times we live in students and academics fit the role of surviving spies, the ones that return with intelligence. China's intelligence operations are diverse and given that every State, including the US wants to safeguard its sovereignty, a defensive approach as the US is currently taking, in revoking visas of Chinese students with ties to the CCP is understandable. The action is not one without a basis. However, what is also a fact is that Chinese students contribute billions of dollars to the American economy. How the US navigates this fallout is something that will be worth understanding. The other set of visa revocations is taking place in the US as the Trump 2.0 administration sees elite universities such as Harvard as failing to address anti-Semitism, particularly in the context of pro-Palestinian protests on campuses. While concerns of self-censorship, lack of freedom of expression emerge owing to such visa revocations, fact also remains that owing to normalisation of hatred of Jews, two Israeli staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were killed in Washington D.C. in May this year. The suspect Elias Rodrigues had shouted Free Palestine, after the shooting, which happened outside the Capital Jewish Museum. A normalisation of hatred and anti-Semitism, instead of actual utlisation of education visas is seen as unpalatable by Trump 2.0. Rep. Josh Gottheimer linked the shooting to a 'relentless global campaign to demonise Jews and Israel,' pointing to campus protests as part of this trend. While there are several concerns around the steps being taken, fact remains that there has been rational basis, linked to American's concerns of sovereignty. What this could lead to, however, is the emergence of educational hubs in other parts of the world. How other countries and regions leverage the opportunities is yet to be seen, but collective global hubs can fill in the vacuum, reshaping higher education. This article is authored by Sriparna Pathak, professor, China Studies and International Relations, Jindal School of International Affairs, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.
