On Jan. 27, 2017, Donald Trump issued a travel ban that prevented seven predominantly Muslim nations’ citizens from traveling to the United States for an initial 90-day period, with the intent of making it permanent. While it was eventually blocked by federal judges, this movement raised a lot of eyebrows, especially because it was signed just seven days after President Trump's 2017 inauguration.
Colleges, who have already had a rocky relationship with President Trump due to his attempt to cut $490 million out of the Federal Work-Study Program, are starting to take notice of the potential for instated travel bans. Some have begun taking precautions, warning their students of possible upcoming travel bans that would prevent those who live in banned nations from visiting their families. The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, among many other American universities, advised its international students to “strongly consider returning to the United States prior to the presidential inauguration day of January 20.” While some say that these messages are just provoking unnecessary anxiety, others claim they are legitimate concerns, citing the vow President Trump made in September to reinstate travel bans and his warning that he would “not accept people from infested countries.” Despite this uncertainty, schools should offer resources to students who are predicted to be affected by travel bans.
Schools should react quickly to get ahead of the potential travel ban. For example, they could offer free dorm housing during summer and winter breaks for students who live in nations at risk of being banned. This would provide students, who might otherwise be stranded and unable to return to the United States after their visit home, with an alternative option. Unfortunately, no solution would allow students from countries affected by the travel ban to see their families.
In addition, universities should provide free legal advice to students who are affected by the potential ban. Many students are attending American universities under a travel visa. Once a student's visa expires, they are forced to leave the country, but if they go back to their home nation, they are not able to return to the United States to continue studying at an American university. Having free legal guidance will provide these students forced into difficult circumstances with advice, and potentially help them renew their visa, or find alternative solutions that will not leave them stranded in a different country, away from both school and home.
Donald Trump is against immigration, especially from certain countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia, as proven by his previous attempted travel bans. His right-hand man, however, is an illegal immigrant himself. Elon Musk has spent over a quarter of a billion dollars in support of Trump. In return, Trump has repaid Musk with a future position as head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency.
The mercurial nature of Trump as well as his hypocritical stance on immigration indicates that while schools should prepare students for future travel bans, Trump's policies, as well as the ground these students stand on, will always be shifting.