House Republicans have introduced legislation to block Chinese nationals from obtaining U.S. student visas.
“Every year we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) said in a statement. “Just last year, the FBI charged five Chinese nationals here on student visas after they were caught photographing joint US-Taiwan live fire military exercises. This cannot continue.”
Five former University of Michigan students were caught photographing U.S. and Taiwanese troops conducting live fire exercises, the press release for the bill detailed. Another Chinese citizen attending the University of Minnesota was convicted after flying a drone over a naval shipyard. The release noted that another Chinese national was instructed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to steal technology and recruit spies.
The congressman declared that Congress “needs to end China’s exploitation of our student visa program. It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals.”
Moore’s bill, called “Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act,” or the “Stop CCP VISAs Act,” is co-sponsored by Reps. Brandon Gill (R-TX), Scott Perry (R-PA), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Andy Ogles (R-TN), and Addison McDowell (R-NC).
The bill specifically seeks to “amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the admission of Chinese nationals as nonimmigrant students.”
“An alien who is a national of the People’s Republic of China may not be issued a visa or otherwise provided status as a nonimmigrant under section 101(a)(15)(F), (J), or (M), for the purpose of conducting research or pursuing a course of study,” the bill reads.
