Just like Castro, hundreds of thousands of international students from all over the world choose the United States as a place to develop their academic careers. According to the U.S. State Department’s Open Doors Report, for the 2023–2024 academic year, Florida hosted 44,767 international students, marking a 5.1% increase from the previous year.

Prospective international students to the U.S. were dealt another blow when U.S. embassies were ordered not to schedule any new student visa interviews while the Trump Administration prepares to expand its vetting of applicants’ social media profiles.