Students from Indonesia, Malaysia souring on US amid immigration crackdown

Wariness fueled by increased scrutiny of international students, visa cancellations, detention,  deportation of students 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) – The Trump administration’s policy shifts have led to a growing sense of wariness among students and others in southeast Asia who wish to go to the U.S. 

This wariness is fueled by increased scrutiny of international students, visa cancellations, and detention or deportation of students from the region.

For months, 19-year-old Noah from Malaysia had been researching how to study marine biology in the United States. But in April, he gave up on his dream.

“I had my heart set on Hawaii – some people call it the Disneyland for marine scientists,” he told The Straits Times.

For Noah, the worries have meant pivoting to local options or considering Singapore and Australia. He declined to use his real name as a precaution in the event of future travel to the US. 

“I have turned my eyes closer to home. South-east Asia has incredible marine ecosystems too, and maybe this is a sign to root my work right here, where it matters most,” he said.

Others have seen their opportunities abruptly paused. A 28-year-old Malaysian participant in the US State Department’s Young South-east Asian Leaders Initiative, who requested anonymity, said his five-week fellowship in the US was postponed without explanation in March. 

Since January, more than 4700 international student records have been removed from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a database managed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

The US Embassy in Jakarta reported 8,348 Indonesian students in the US for 2023-2024, the second-highest figure from South-east Asia, after Vietnam. But cases like that of Aditya Wahyu Harsono – a 33-year-old arrested by ICE agents at his workplace in Minnesota after his student visa was suddenly revoked – have caused ripples of concern.

The Indonesian Embassy in Washington on April 12 urged students to closely monitor their visa status and digital footprint, and to stay compliant with all US regulations. Several Indonesian students have been detained or deported recently, including one in San Francisco, and others in Atlanta and New York.

Some Indonesian students in the US say they have stopped travelling outside the country, even for academic events, to avoid re-entry risks. 

“During spring break, I noticed that people who returned to the US after internships or other activities were being questioned a lot by immigration officers,” Edo (not his real name), a postgraduate student in New York, said. He also declined to be named fearing repercussions.

“There’s now a lot of guidance circulating. Before going through immigration, students (from overseas) are advised to delete all social media, deactivate accounts and clean up (their) photo gallery,” he said, pointing to groups like American Civil Liberties Union that are helping students avoid potential detention by ICE.

International student exchange programmes, including Fulbright, face funding issues. A 21-year-old Malaysian student is still mulling over an offer from a US university.

“As a brown Asian girl, I worry about my general safety and well-being if I were to reside in the US,” she said, pointing to issues such as racism and the immigration crackdown. Arkansas is a Republican state, whose voters helped President Donald Trump win a second term.