The Impact of Trump's Policies on the Immigration of American Scientists

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The publication of a survey by the prestigious journal Nature indicates that three-quarters of American scientists are considering leaving the country due to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. In this survey, conducted among 1,200 scientists in the U.S., around 900 said they are thinking about emigrating from America.

However, the main reason why three-quarters of American scientists are considering leaving the country is the drastic changes introduced by the new Trump administration in U.S. scientific research. These new and unusual conditions have forced many scientists in the country to reconsider their careers and lives in America.

On the other hand, the Trump administration has sharply cut research funding and halted large portions of federally funded scientific research. This has left research institutions across the country facing unexpected and surprising challenges in sustaining their operations.

According to the survey conducted by Nature among American researchers, over 75% of respondents said they have considered moving abroad since Trump’s election victory. These scientists stated that the turmoil caused by the Trump administration has led them to think about leaving the U.S., with Europe and Canada being their top migration choices.

Another important and notable point is that this desire to emigrate is stronger among younger researchers compared to other groups. Among 690 master's researchers, 548 said they have considered leaving, while 255 out of 340 PhD students shared the same sentiment.

To understand the root cause of American scientists’ desire to leave the country, we must first consider that the Trump administration has drastically slashed research budgets and halted large portions of federally supported sciences as part of a cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk.

This development has led to tens of thousands of federal employees, including many scientists, being laid off and then rehired due to court orders, with warnings of a new wave of layoffs looming. Additionally, immigration restrictions and conflicts over academic and scientific freedoms have created severe disruption among researchers, fostering an atmosphere of uncertainty and instability across the U.S. research infrastructure.

Interestingly, Nature posed a critical question to its readers in its survey: "Have these changes made you consider leaving the U.S.?" Out of 1,650 respondents, many said that if they were to emigrate, they would prefer countries where they already have colleagues, friends, family, or language familiarity.

But that’s not all, one respondent wrote: "Anywhere that supports science." Some foreign scientists who came to the U.S. for work are now making plans to return to their home countries.

Moreover, the recent survey reveals that the firing of researchers from agencies like NOAA and NASA, along with a $420 million cut in NASA contracts that do not align with White House priorities, has caused widespread concern and chaos in the American scientific community.

In a major development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to lay off 10,000 employees, affecting oversight of the CDC and FDA. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reduced COVID-19 research grants, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is targeting environmental funding cuts.

Last week, the Trump administration canceled at least 68 grants worth $40 million, sparking nationwide protests. Some researchers, like a plant genomics student who lost funding, see no choice but to leave the U.S.

Finally, scientists in the U.S. criticize the lack of priority given to fields like global food systems, while some foreign researchers plan to return home, even as international universities see this as an opportunity to attract talent.