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Fear, raids and dismissal without warning! The case of the Chinese professor that is shaking American universities
2025-04-16 19:45:42 / BOTA
FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents recently raided two residences owned by Xiaofeng Wang, a prominent Chinese professor and cybersecurity expert at Indiana University.
The event has shocked the community of the university town of Bloomington, especially the Asian community.
Professor Wang was questioned in December by the university over suspicions of receiving undeclared funds from China for a project that also had US federal funding.
On the same day as the raid, he was fired via email – an action that contradicts the institution's standard procedures.
However, Wang has not been charged with any criminal offense and, according to his lawyer, there are no charges pending against him or his wife, who worked as a library analyst at the same university.
The incident has sparked fear among Chinese professors and students, who express concern about the possibility of similar punishments, in an increasingly hostile political climate towards China.
“I've heard Chinese professors talk about the fear that something like this could happen to them too,” said a Chinese doctoral student who asked to remain anonymous.
Fear of the return of racial profiling
During Donald Trump's first administration, the Justice Department had launched the "China Initiative" to investigate the alleged influence of Chinese espionage in academia, but the program was widely criticized for racial profiling and was discontinued in 2022 by the Biden administration.
But with Trump's return to harsh rhetoric against China in his new campaign, experts and academics are concerned about a return to this approach.
Gang Chen, a professor at MIT and former defendant in a similar case, called Wang's case "deeply troubling."
“Indiana University fired him and his wife without due process, assuming guilt instead of innocence,” he pointed out.
Major effects on the Chinese student community
Universities in the central areas of the US, such as Indiana, are among the institutions that benefit the most from the presence of international students – especially those from China.
Indiana University alone enrolls about 2,000 students from China each year, who contribute significantly to the local economy.
“I am concerned about the political hostility towards China and the impact this may have on my status as a student,” said another Chinese student.
Although concerns about Chinese interference in American educational institutions are not unfounded – as several previous cases and intelligence reports show – many experts warn against generalizations and fears that it could drive talent away from the country.
For now, Wang's profile page has been removed from the university's website and officials have not commented publicly on the case.
Meanwhile, his lawyer has stressed that his clients "look forward to clearing their names and resuming their careers."
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