Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Monday defended admitting 600,000 foreign students to U.S. colleges, brushing off conservative backlash and tying the plan to President Donald Trump’s push for sweeping immigration reforms, Breitbart reported.

Lutnick became the center of a political storm after arguing that foreign students are vital to the survival of U.S. universities, saying the admissions would protect financially fragile institutions while the administration works to remake the immigration system.

Appearing on Fox News, Lutnick insisted that shutting the door on international enrollment would carry heavy costs. “Well, the president’s point of view is that what would happen if you didn’t have those 600,000 students is that … the bottom 15% of universities and colleges would go out of business in America,” he said.

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