Universities warn students of potential travel bans, visa issues after President-elect Trump’s inauguration
Several universities are urging international students to return from the break before President-elect Trump is sworn into office on Jan. 20 due to concerns that he could change immigration policy.
Cornell, Wesleyan, Harvard, Quinnipiac, Pennsylvania State, Yale, and New York universities, as well as the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Southern California, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have all issued warnings or advisories to students traveling home from abroad, according to multiple outlets.
“A travel ban is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration,” states a notice on Cornell’s website.
“The ban is likely to include citizens of the countries targeted in the first Trump administration: Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia. New countries could be added to this list, particularly China and India,” the notice states.
“It is a good idea for international students, faculty, and staff from the above countries to be back in the U.S. in advance of the semester, which begins on January 21, 2025,” it states.
The notice also advises students to carry current documents and necessary paperwork. For visa-related issues, it suggests contacting International Services or an immigration lawyer, as processing times may be delayed and changes in policies or laws, including potential mass deportations, could occur.
Wesleyan University also issued a letter to international students, urging them to return to campus by Jan. 19, according to Connecticut Public.
“With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the U.S. on January 19th and the days thereafter of the spring semester,” the letter states.
In a similar notice, UMass told students to “strongly consider returning to the United States prior to the presidential inauguration day…given that a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office.”
Harvard also suggested that students return to campus “prior to the January Martin Luther King holiday,” according to The Harvard Crimson.
The school had not suggested this recommended return date in previous “Winter Travel” emails.
“Some students…saw the email as a clear reference to the incoming Trump administration,” the Crimson reported.
In a notice sent to USC students, the school stated that returning to campus by Jan. 13, the first day of the new semester, is “especially important given that a new presidential administration will take office on January 20 and — as is common — may issue one or more executive orders impacting travel to the US and visa processing,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
MIT, Quinnipiac, Penn State, Yale, and NYU also sent their students similar notices.
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