A recent article published by The Guardian highlights how France is quickly becoming the best European refuge for American talent, from academics to researchers, who are trying to escape the impact of new U.S presidential policies and seeking intellectual freedom in a country where threats to higher education and democracy are not part of everyday life. But what was the turning point? According to multiple reports, Americans decided to plan their relocation following the Republican government’s funding freezes, cuts to scholarships, and restrictions on main institutions. As a result, European universities have launched programs to help expats find greater stability, flexibility, and support.

For example, Brian Sandberg (American researcher) expressed deep concerns over deportation and attacks on international students, citing ‘I think a lot of people in the United States and as well as here in Europe have not understood the level to which all of higher education is being targeted’. This is why he applied for the Aix-Marseille University programme known as ‘Safe Place for Science’. The data that follows focuses on over 500 requests by American expats, from Yale to Columbia or Stanford, in 2025 alone.

Also, Eric Berton (president of Aix-Marseille University) observed a paradigm shift. Unlike 80 years ago, when European intellectuals fled the hostility of the Old World, it is now the U.S that faces a shortage of researchers and academics, with France emerging as a haven for exiled talent. Indeed, recent media interviews reflect the anxiety among intellectuals, many of whom fear deportation and violence but are not afraid to show their resentment toward the Trump administration’s restrictive policies on multiculturalism.

Among testimonials are:

• Carol Lee, an evolutionary biologist, who is frustrated by the growing censorship and increased close-mindedness towards the queer community and efforts to support the diversity culture.
• Lisa (a pseudonym), a biological anthropologist, who decided to move out of the U.S with her family after Donald Trump’s re-election to relocate to Marseille, where she is excited but has concerns over different salaries and lifestyle.
• James, a climate researcher, who was losing his hope to work as a scientist while living in the United States. At the moment, he and his wife have expressed gratitude to France for a new opportunity to grow their careers.