Over the past three months, there have been reports of a number of Chinese students being deported when they return to the United States, including dozens of PhDs. The American journal Science has expressed concern about the matter, fearing that the situation could lead to a "chilling effect" in the academic field, affecting international students' perception of higher education in the United States.
A Chinese student named Da Zhuang shared his experience of being denied entry by U.S. Customs on social media. He plans to work as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, specializing in the application of artificial intelligence models in the analysis of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as pedestrian search technology in surveillance. Because these research directions may be seen as sensitive, he tried to circumvent the "10043 ban" by applying for an H1-B work visa instead of a J-1 exchange visitor visa, which prohibits Chinese students and scholars with certain backgrounds from applying for study and scholar visas in the United States.
Unfortunately, Da Zhuang's strategy was unsuccessful, and U.S. Customs** charged him with immigration fraud and denied him entry while barring him from re-entering the U.S. for the next five years. A similar situation has happened to other Chinese students who have been discovered and deported while trying to circumvent the "10043 ban."
Some U.S. universities and lawyers are working to help these deported students. Both Yale experts and the Dean of Graduate Schools have expressed regret over the matter and are actively seeking solutions so that students can continue their studies.
The incident is a reminder to Chinese students that in the face of U.S. data surveillance and intelligence systems, any attempt to circumvent the rules could be detected and dealt with harshly. Therefore, students should exercise caution to ensure that their visa and entry applications comply with all relevant laws and regulations.