“In China, the government can control education, high schools, colleges, universities. We thought that the USA could be different," one student said.

Chinese students say they’re questioning their decision to study in the U.S. after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the federal government will attempt to “aggressively” revoke their visas.

Rubio said Wednesday that Chinese students “with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields” would be targeted.

Chinese students who spoke to NBC News on Thursday said that they came to the U.S. for freedoms they felt they did not have back in China but that now the Trump administration is starting to resemble the strict regime they left behind.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    26 days ago

    Yes, but China is forward looking while doing shitty things. The US is putting it in reverse gear while doing shitty things.

    • angrystego@lemmy.world
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      26 days ago

      When they say they want freedom, they mean freedom to be openly racist and such. They’re not really interested in freedom in general, they want a strict regime.

  • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
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    26 days ago

    Having a visa revoked is very different from being thrown into a jail or executed.

    They have every right to say that about the US, though, and I am happy they can voice thier opinion. Unlike in China, where the government will happily throw you and your family behind bars for saying something even approaching a bad opinion of government action.

    Edit - aww I think I irritated the tankies

    • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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      26 days ago

      Have you not been watching the news? ICE has been detaining people left and right for months at a time, no charges whatsoever.

    • AFaithfulNihilist@lemmy.world
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      26 days ago

      Are you serious?

      They can’t voice their opinion.

      If they voice their opinion they get kicked out Even faster, but only after they’ve been put into a holding cell for days to weeks to months and maybe left to die of exposure for the crime of checks notes exercising the first amendment…

      People in America are being thrown into a gulag with no hope for release to work as slave labor until they die in a foreign country.

      There’s no silver lining here. We are becoming more like China. It’s not a good thing.

      • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
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        26 days ago

        Did you read the article? They’re literally voicing their opinion, right there.

        Becoming more like China, sure, but saying that means it’s not as bad as China. Not a good thing, I agree.

    • frunch@lemmy.world
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      26 days ago

      They have every right to say that about the US, though, and I am happy they can voice thier opinion. Unlike in China, where the government will happily throw you and your family behind bars for saying something even approaching a bad opinion of government action.

      I think the concern here could be that revoking visas might be a first step towards a more intolerant policy a la China as referenced above

      • obvs@lemmy.world
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        26 days ago

        You’re right.

        In the United States, you don’t have to even criticize the government to have your whole family thrown behind bars.

        The United States will happily rendition your whole family to the United States Concentration Camps in El Salvador just for being in the United States.

        The United States doesn’t imprison the people who hate the country. It imprisons the people who loved the country the most.

    • barneypiccolo@lemm.ee
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      26 days ago

      Unlike in China, where the government will happily throw you and your family behind bars for saying something even approaching a bad opinion of government action.

      Yeah, there have been no repercussions for protesting against Gaza Genocide. /S

    • Zexks@lemmy.world
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      26 days ago

      Trump imprisoned a college student for a negative article she wrote about him in her college paper opinion section. How is that any different.