The fourth-largest group of college-educated immigrants in the U.S. are Mexicans, after immigrants from India, China and the Philippines.

"Much of the U.S. debate on Mexican immigration has focused on low-skilled immigrants, who have long composed the largest share of Mexicans in the United States," wrote the Migration Policy Institute in a report released last week. "Recent data, however, show notable skill-level increases in this population."

The number of Mexican immigrants with a bachelor's degree or higher more than doubled between 2000 and 2017, from 269,000 to 678,000, according to Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Andrew Selee in "A Profile of Highly Skilled Mexican Immigrants in Texas and the United States."

Nearly 1 in 6 Mexicans arriving between 2013 and 2017 had a college degree, compared with slightly more than 1 in 20 for those coming between 1996 and 2000.

Naturalized citizens made up the largest share (45% nationwide) of Mexican college graduates, "but unauthorized immigrants (30%) and green card holders (21%) are also well represented," the institute's policy paper said.

"Temporary-visa holders were a much smaller share of the total population," the institute wrote, "though they were the group most likely to hold a degree."

Meanwhile, because the Mexican economy has improved, migration to the U.S. from its southern neighbor has slowed. Other factors include stepped up border enforcement on the U.S. side and a drop in Mexico's birth rates.

College-educated Mexicans find work in the U.S. in fields including teaching at all levels, construction, wholesale grocery, hospitals and restaurants.

The report noted that Texas' metropolitan areas -- Houston, Dallas, El Paso, McAllen and San Antonio -- have been a gateway for these college-educated Mexican immigrants, with 27 percent of college-educated Mexicans making their homes there. Highly skilled Mexicans were prevalent in San Antonio, McAllen and El Paso -- urban areas near the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Policies that make language training more accessible and that streamline the requirements for having professional degrees and skill certifications recognized would enable highly skilled immigrants, including those from Mexico, to join the ranks of qualified professionals and contribute more fully to the state and U.S. economies," the report concluded.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.