EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: How U.S. Has Blocked a Wave of Student Spies — As State Department Cracks Down on Chinese Infiltrators
The U.S. has blocked waves of student spies.
June 25 2025, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
Thousands of Chinese spies masquerading as college students are being denied entry to the U.S. after a series of RadarOnline.com exposés detailing how the communist country's government has used our educational system to slip its undercover agents into America undetected.
In 2020, a U.S. media outlet revealed the scheme by China's People's Liberation Army to plant its operatives at our country's top schools and research centers in a coordinated plan to steal American intellectual property.
Experts said an estimated 10,000 Chinese students are actually Communist Party soldiers tasked with pilfering technology, health and defense secrets. They've also been accused in more nefarious plots.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently arrested two Chinese nationals linked to the University of Michigan for "agro-terrorism."
They were caught smuggling a toxic fungus responsible for billions of dollars in agriculture-related losses every year into the country.
Shock Probe
Thousands of Chinese students posing as scholars were found to be trying to gain entry to the States.
"The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns," said U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
It was just one part of the State Department's redoubled efforts to weed out double agents who are already studying in the U.S. who have "connections to the Chinese Communist Party or [who are] studying in critical fields."
A nationwide court injunction is preventing the government from deporting current students, but the Trump administration has ordered its embassies to deny visas for new applicants.
"We use every tool that we have to vet and to make sure we know who's coming in," said Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokesperson.
Trump Scare
Nearly 300,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S., including at NYU where Barron Trump, center, is enrolled.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely told RadarOnline.com the Chinese regime handpicks U.S.-bound students who he believes "are briefed by the intelligence people" to report their findings to operatives in Chinese embassies or consulates.
"It's a very well-organized, very well-programmed operation," Vallely explained. "It's a high-risk problem because the Chinese Communist Party is on top of everything that is happening in America."
During the 2023–24 academic year, 1.1 million foreign students were studying in the U.S., with 24 percent, or nearly 300,000, coming from China.
The largest number of international students attend New York University, where First Son Barron Trump studies, followed by Boston's Northeastern University and NYC's Columbia University.
