During Thursday's State Department press briefing, Spokesperson Tammy Bruce answered questions about Sec. Marco Rubio's push to revoke Chinese student visas.
00:00Sure. More on the visas. If you want me to be emphasizing, as Daphne and Matt asked you, on the language, you know, the Secretary's statement yesterday aggressively wrote visas for Chinese students, including those with connections. It's not specific. He's not saying specifically those with connections. So I mean, there are 277,000 Chinese students in the United States. I mean, should all of them feel that they're at some risk of having their visas revoked?
00:21I think everyone who's here on a visa has to recognize, certainly is what they've seen over the last few months, that America takes their visa seriously, that vetting is not a one-time process. It's continuing. And that when things, if things happen, if you get arrested, if there's some kind of an issue, it's probably going to be seen at some point.
00:43But I do think that with this particular dynamic, it's clear that there is an interest in making sure that those who are here from China on a visa understand that we are taking our national security seriously and we are looking at their visas. And if everything's fine, terrific. But that will be a vetting that certainly continues and is important, clearly, to the administration.
01:07Again, a bit broader. I mean, you said, if everything's fine, you're welcome. More broadly, all these things that are going on with the student visas, with the vetting, with the suspension for now of new appointments.
01:17I mean, is it still a priority for the administration to encourage students to come to the United States? They have other options. It's been said that Hong Kong, for example, is now saying students at Harvard, doctoral students, have a fast track to go there.
01:26Is there any concern that the U.S. is losing a competition? After all, there's $50 billion into the economy from international students?
01:33Yeah, well, people come here because this is where you start new lives, where you have every opportunity in the world. There's a reason why people come here. It's because of what the country represents.
01:44Yes, the excellence of our schools. And we want to keep it that way. We want parents who send their children, whether they be from a different country or America, to an American university, that they can recognize their child when that child returns home.
01:56And that child actually has skills and an education that can improve their future, that can get them a job, that can help facilitate the dreams that they've had, as opposed to political indoctrination or the idea of just activism or a certain political framework that they move out with.
02:15This should be an education that is literally liberal. The idea that you learn things that help facilitate your life, no matter where you come from, who you are, if you're a Jew or a non-believer or an atheist or black or white or a woman.
02:31We've been through this in this country for the last two to three generations still.
02:36And our focus is making sure that everyone who does want to send their child to a school in this country can do so knowing that they're going to be safe.
02:45They're going to be able to get into a building and not held hostage in a library because it's been occupied or that they're going to be able to actually learn things that you're paying that kind of money for.
02:55So, yes, it not only should encourage more people, for those who are already here, it's certainly an important dynamic for believing and understanding that your child's going to be safe and that you're going to get something that you've paid for more than a social activist who lives in your basement.
03:15Can I switch to the Middle East or does anybody else have anything?
03:17Well, yeah, you know, it's an unusual day for me and time flies, doesn't it?
