Chinese students practice how to respond to kidnapping and ICE before studying in the US

After the rehearsal ended, the coaches sat down with Lu to double check what she did right. Important points they reminded her of included getting down on the floor, finding out what the kidnappers wanted and not making them angry.

This is a training exercise at a private summer camp to help Lu equip himself with skills to cope with the risk of kidnapping before entering university in Washington state next September. “I hope I never have to use these skills, but I definitely feel more alert after learning,” Lu said.

Lu is a student at a prestigious international high school in Beijing, where instead of preparing for tough university entrance exams, students mostly choose to study abroad or go to Hong Kong.

Finally, Lu decided to go to America. When her mother learned about summer camps preparing students to study abroad in the US, she did not hesitate to register her daughter.

The summer training camp Lu attended in Fujian province had many speakers sharing their experiences, while a camp in Beijing said it could provide hands-on preparation for “hidden dangers”.

Social media ads for a summer camp in Beijing that offers kidnapping drills say the security training is based on risk assessment reports from 110 universities in the US.

The course puts students in situations that simulate hate crimes, phone and Internet scams, bullying, and most recently, how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

“This training simulates ICE enforcement tactics and procedures, preparing participants to respond calmly and effectively to surprise raids in a variety of everyday situations, including homes, schools, and public spaces,” the post reads.

This is the latest form chosen by Chinese international students to equip them with skills to cope with potential risks in the US, partly due to President Donald Trump’s administration’s increasingly tense policies towards international students and the fluctuating China-US relationship.

The US Department of Homeland Security recently announced that student and cultural exchange visas will be limited to a maximum of 4 years. China has called the decision “discriminatory”.

The Trump administration has changed regulations that consider schools and universities to be no-go zones for immigration interference. However, other scenarios presented by training camps appear to have little basis in actual risks. For example, there is no evidence that kidnapping by stranger has become more common in the United States; such situations are rare. The founder of the Beijing summer camp declined a request to comment on this matter.

Many Chinese families continue to plan to send their children to study in the United States, but they are no longer certain of the future they once hoped for.

“We have seen some signs, like some Chinese students are more willing to repatriate, and overall the number of Chinese students going to the US is decreasing,” said Yingyi Ma, professor at Syracuse University, New York, US.

According to the Open Doors Report, an annual survey of international students and scholars published by the Institute of International Education, the number of Chinese students in the US has decreased for five consecutive years, to less than 266,000 by 2025.

A report from Chinese private education provider New Oriental shows that the UK replaced the US as the most popular destination to study abroad in 2019.

However, some students believe that program quality is still the top factor. Steve Liu, a master’s student in finance, said education in the US has a significant advantage in his field of study.

Regarding potential risks such as visa issues, ICE raids or mass shootings, Liu said he will address these issues as they occur.

Either way, he hopes he can avoid them. “I’ll be in California, there are more Democrats there,” Steve Liu said.