70 years ago, at the height of the Red Scare, the United States deported Qian Xuesen, a pioneering Chinese-born aerospace engineer. The government accused Qian of being a communist, which he denied. Back in China, Qian continued his work, becoming known as the father of Chinese rocketry and laying the foundations for the nation’s missile and space programs. Former US Under Secretary of the Navy Dan Kimball called Qian’s deportation “the stupidest thing this country ever did.” Now, the Trump administration is seeking to block international students from studying at Harvard, threatening to revoke the visas of Chinese international students, and cutting funding for a wide range of scientific research. This is nothing more than a self-inflicted brain drain, and its consequences, driving the world’s best and brightest away from the United States, could weaken the country for generations to come.