Fake ICE raids and kidnapping drills: How Chinese teens prepare for US college

For many Chinese students preparing to study in the United States, the academic rigor is only part of the challenge. Increasingly, private summer camps are offering specialized training to equip them for potential real-world dangers, including simulated kidnapping scenarios.

One such student, Lulu Lu from Beijing, experienced a startling drill where an instructor burst into her room, flashlight in hand, shouting demands for her phone and ordering her to get down. The scenario escalated with the intruder blindfolding Lu, tying her hands, and forcing her to record a ransom message for her parents.

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Get down. Give me your phone.

While the experience was designed to be realistic and frightening, it was, in fact, a simulation. The camp instructor was training Lu on how to react if she were ever to face a real kidnapping situation. With Lu set to begin her studies in the US in just two months, the training aimed to provide her with practical skills to handle such a crisis.

These specialized camps highlight a growing concern among Chinese families about the safety of their children studying abroad. By simulating dangerous situations, these programs aim to instill a sense of preparedness and provide students with a mental framework for responding to emergencies, should they arise.

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begging them to pay a ransom