New York: Amid fears of potential travel bans, several top American universities reportedly issued travel advisories, urging international students to return to the country before the swearing-in of Donal Trump as the 47th President of the United States on January 20.
Such fears have been triggered as President-elect Trump has announced plans to implement sweeping executive orders on his first day in office. These orders may target immigration and economic policies. There are concerns of disruptions similar to those caused during his first term as the US President in 2017. At that time, nationals from seven, predominantly Muslim, countries had faced an immediate travel ban.
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, had issued a detailed advisory urging its international students and staff to consider returning before January 20, reported the India Today. “Given that a new presidential administration can enact policies on their first day in office and based on previous experience with travel bans in 2017, this advisory is made out of an abundance of caution,” the university stated, as quoted by India Today.
The Wesleyan Argus, Wesleyan University’s college newspaper, also reported that the university’s Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) had issued similar advisory. An email from the office reportedly read: “The safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the US on January 19 and the days thereafter.”
David Elwell, Associate Dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), warned international students to assess their travel plans carefully amid the unpredictability of the transitions. He had reportedly warned of potential delays in visa processing.
A recent Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange stated that there were 1.1 million international students in the US.
