International students are encouraged to return to US campuses before Trump’s inauguration

On December 27, 2024By Littum

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – A growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are advising international students to return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, amid concerns that he may impose travel bans, as he did during his first government.

More than a dozen schools have issued notices, though Trump’s plans remain uncertain. In some schools, the spring semester begins before Trump takes office, so students may have to return to class anyway. But for anyone whose ability to stay in the U.S. depends on an academic visa, they say it’s best to reduce their risks and get back to campus before Jan. 20.

Here’s a look at what Trump has said and done, and how schools and students are preparing for his second term:

People walk between buildings Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

What did Trump do in the past?

Trump issued one announcement in January 2017 ban on travel to the US for citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries – Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Travelers from these nations were either barred from boarding their flights or detained at US airports after landing. They included students and faculty as well as business people, tourists and visitors to friends and family.

Trump later removed some countries and added others to the list — 15 nations were affected at one point during his presidency. More than 40,000 people were ultimately denied visas because of the ban, according to the US State Department. President Joe Biden canceled the orders when he took office in 2021.

How are students affected?

More than 1.1 million international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities during the 2023-24 school year, according to Open Doors, a data project funded in part by the U.S. State Department. Students from India and China account for more than half of all international students in the United States, and about 43,800 come from the 15 countries affected by Trump’s travel restrictions.

A person walks near buildings Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Jacky Li, a third-year environmental studies major at the University of California, Berkeley, is leaving for China on December 21st and returning on January 16th. Although he made his plans months before Berkeley officials made the announcement, he said concern is growing. among international students.

“There is a fear that this kind of restriction will expand to a wider society, given the geopolitical tensions today around the world, so the fear is certainly there,” said Li, who urged Trump to support, rather than thwarting important academic research.

“If the United States is really a champion of academic freedom, what you should do is not restrict this kind of communication between different countries in the world,” he said.

What can Trump do now?

Trump’s transition team did not respond to questions on the issue this week, but previously he has said he will revive the travel ban and expand it, promising new “ideological screening” of non-US citizens to prevent “dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots and lunatics.”

“We are not bringing in anybody from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen or Libya or anywhere else that threatens our security,” Trump said at an Oct. 2023. campaign event in Iowa.

Trump also promised to “revoke student visas for radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners at our colleges and universities” in response to campus protests.

People walk past the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

What do schools tell students?

School officials have advised international students heading home for winter break to return before Commencement Day and prepare for possible immigration delays.

The list includes Ivy League universities like Harvard and Brown, Boston schools like Northeastern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other schools around the country, from Johns Hopkins University to the University of Southern California. Some offer classes that begin the day after Inauguration Day.

A person rides a scooter, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, near an entrance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Cornell University told its students that a travel ban involving the 13 nations previously targeted by Trump “will likely go into effect shortly after the inauguration” and that new countries could be added to the list, notably China and India. It advised students, faculty and staff from those countries to return to campus before the semester starts Jan. 21.

Other schools stopped short of saying a ban is likely, instead advising students to plan and prepare for delays.