Major government research lab appears to be squeezing out foreign scientists

One of the highest-ranking officials in the United States government scientific research laboratories is taking steps that could keep foreign scientists away, a change that lawmakers and sources tell WIRED could cost the country valuable expertise and damage the agency’s credibility.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helps determine the frameworks that underpin everything from cybersecurity to semiconductor manufacturing. Some of NIST’s recent work includes establishing guidelines for secure AI systems and identify health concerns related to air purifiers and fire-fighting gloves. Many of the agency’s thousands of employees, postdoctoral scientists, entrepreneurs and visiting researchers come from around the world for their specialized expertise.

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“For weeks now, rumors of new draconian measures have spread like wildfire, while my team’s inquiries to NIST have gone unanswered,” said Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. written in a letter sent Thursday to NIST Acting Director Craig Burkhardt. April McClain Delaney, a fellow Democratic committee member, co-signed the post.

Lofgren wrote that while his team has heard multiple rumors of changes, what they have confirmed through anonymous sources is that the Trump administration “has begun taking steps to limit the ability of foreign-born researchers to conduct their work at NIST.”

The congressional letter follows a Boulder Reporting Lab article on February 12, it was declared that international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers would now be limited to a maximum of three years at NIST, although many of them would need five to seven years to complete their work.

A NIST employee told WIRED that some projects to recruit foreign workers through the agency’s research and work experience program have recently been canceled due to uncertainty about their ability to pass new safety protocols. The staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, says the agency has not yet widely communicated what the new obstacles will be or why it believes they are warranted.

Thursday, The Colorado Sun reported that “non-citizens” lost after-hours access to a NIST lab last month and could soon be banned from the facility altogether.

Jennifer Huergo, a spokesperson for NIST, told WIRED that the proposed changes are intended to protect American science from theft and misuse, echoing a similar statement issued this week to other media outlets. Huergo declined to say who must approve the proposal for it to be finalized and when a decision will be made. She also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawmakers’ letter.

Preventing foreign adversaries from stealing valuable American intellectual property is a bipartisan priority, with NIST among the agencies to receive in recent years Congressional scrutiny on the adequacy of its background checks and security policies. Last month, Republican lawmakers renewed calls Implement restrictions preventing Chinese nationals from working in or with national laboratories operated by the Department of Energy.

But Lofgren’s letter asserts that restrictions on non-U.S. NIST scientists go beyond “what is reasonable and appropriate to protect research security.” The letter demands transparency on the new policies by February 26 and a pause “until Congress can weigh in on whether these changes are necessary.”

The potential loss of talented researchers at NIST would add to a series of other Trump administration policies that some U.S. tech industry executives say would dismantle the lives of immigrant researchers already living in the United States and hamper economic growth. Hiking fees on H-1B technology visasrevoking thousands of student visas and proceeding with legally questionable mass deportations All of these factors cause people who want to work in science and technology research in the United States to go elsewhere. The Trump administration also announced plans to limit post-graduation professional training for international students.

Pat Gallagher, who served as NIST director from 2009 to 2013 under President Barack Obama, says the changes could erode trust in the agency, which has long provided the technical foundation that industry and governments around the world rely on. “What makes NIST special is that it is scientifically credible,” he told WIRED. “Industry, academia and the global measurement community knew they could work with NIST. »

Like much of the federal government, NIST has been in turmoil for most of the past year. Some parts were paralyzed for months while rumors of DOGE cuts propagated. Ultimately, the agency lost hundreds of thousands of workers to budget cuts, with further financial pressures to come.

A few years ago, NIST hosted 800 researchers on average each year from outside the United States to work in its offices and collaborate directly with staff.

Lofgren expressed concern that the rumors would be enough to scare researchers and undermine U.S. competitiveness in vital research. “Our scientific excellence depends on our ability to attract the best and brightest from around the world,” she wrote in the letter.

This story was originally published on wired.com.