Dear Erica,
A Happy Lunar New Year and Ramadan to those who observe!
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security remains without funding, with House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) quoted in POLITICO as saying, a “bill is not going to move” without “meaningful,” “bold,” and “transformational” changes to conduct by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). No resolution is likely to come soon as Congress has been on recess this week and President Trump prepares to deliver his State of the Union address on February 24. Speaking of ICE, the American Council on Education has updated its issue brief on immigration-related campus concerns facing international students, scholars, and staff. View the NAFSA blog for other related resources.
The supply chain woes that hit the United States hard during the COVID-19 pandemic made semiconductor chips a household name and spurred major legislation to boost U.S. competitiveness in the semiconductor industry. A new report by Studyportals shows that student demand for semiconductor chip-related programs globally has doubled since 2019, but master’s programs are not keeping up with this demand. The report explores the factors behind this “acute supply-demand imbalance” and how institutions can address them. As the competition for global talent intensifies, U.S. institutions would do well to heed these findings.
The magazine Science analyzed employment data from 14 federal agencies to conclude that the U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM PhD’s since January 2025. This represents 14 percent of the total number of PhD’s in science, technology, engineering and math or health fields and equates to 106,626 years of federal work experience.
The Wall Street Journal recently ran the contrasting viewpoints of four students on the topic of “Does America Need International Students?” (free log-in required). The affirmative opinions cited the importance of global talent to this country’s preeminence in research, innovation, and entrepreneurism while the negative opinions reinforce unfounded claims that international students take seats from American students and deprive them of workforce opportunities. The U.S. for Success Coalition, of which NAFSA is a founding member, makes a compelling argument in favor of international talent that refutes this critique.
The list of top producers of Fulbright U.S. scholars and students in 2025-26 was released by the Department of State recently. The Chronicle of Higher Education has the scoop.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Share this post by the U.S. for Success Coalition with your campus leaders to underscore the contributions international students make to your community.
Educate your elected officials on the many contributions international students make to United States’ local economies.
Has your office begun preparing for the final rule on Duration of Status? Whether the answer is yes or no, join this open discussion in Network.NAFSA on how the field is readying for the impact of the new rule.
Thank you kindly.
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
