Students, travellers from South-east Asia, including Malaysia, souring on the US amid immigration crackdown

Protesters marching from City College to Columbia University in New York in late April against the Trump administration's policies. - Photo: AFP

KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA/SINGAPORE: For months, 19-year-old Noah (not his real name) from Malaysia had been researching how to study marine biology in the United States: looking into visa rules, work opportunities and internships. But in April, he gave up on his dream.

“I had my heart set on Hawaii – some people call it the Disneyland for marine scientists,” he told The Straits Times.