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TRUMP: Asians Karma Affirmative Action
Season 7 Episode 10
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President Trump: Asians Lose Affirmative Action = Reciprocity
Asian students have played a crucial role in the fight against affirmative action, arguing that race-based admissions policies unfairly disadvantage them despite their high academic achievements. This advocacy contributed to the Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions, leading to increased Asian enrollment at elite institutions while Black and Hispanic enrollment declined.
However, the same students who celebrated the end of affirmative action now face a harsh reality as Trump and Rubio target visa programs that have historically benefited international students, particularly from Asia. Rubio has aggressively pushed for mass revocations of student visas for Chinese students in STEM fields, citing national security concerns. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has approved Trump’s request to revoke Biden’s parole program, which had provided temporary legal protections to Latin American migrants.
This situation raises a paradox: Asian students fought to eliminate race-conscious admissions policies under the guise of meritocracy, yet many now find themselves disadvantaged as visa programs—another pathway for opportunity—are being stripped away. By opposing affirmative action while relying on student visas to access American education, they risk reinforcing the very exclusionary policies they previously denounced.
The broader question becomes whether these restrictions on visas the same effect as the rollback of affirmative action will have—limiting opportunities for talented students based on nationality rather than race. Universities and policymakers now face mounting challenges in balancing national security concerns with maintaining global academic competitiveness.
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Published on 6 months, 4 weeks ago