Colleges are now warning their students to avoid travel
Several high-profile deportations have sent shockwaves across campuses.
As universities across the country prepare to pause for spring break at different periods in March or April, some have been warning students on visas about traveling under the administration of President Donald Trump.
On March 13, 34-year-old kidney transplant specialist and Brown assistant professor Rasha Alawieh was detained at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) before being deported to Lebanon when attempting to return to the U.S. from a trip to visit her parents.
Case of deported transplant doctor sends shockwaves across colleges
Alawieh’s case, who held a valid H-1B visa to work as a medical specialist, will now be the subject of a March 17 hearing in which a federal judge will ask U.S. Customs and Border Protection to explain why it "willfully" disobeyed his earlier order not to deport her.
The government agency in charge of immigration enforcement is yet to offer any comment on Alawieh.
With other students now preparing to leave for its spring break between March 30 and April 3, Brown University sent its student body a message warning about “potential changes in travel restrictions” that can change at a moment’s notice in a political environment marked by President Donald Trump’s efforts to ramp up deportations.
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“Potential changes in travel restrictions and travel bans, visa procedures and processing, re-entry requirements and other travel-related delays may affect travelers’ ability to return to the U.S. as planned,” Russell Carey, Brown’s executive vice president for planning and policy, wrote in an email.
‘There may be implications also for domestic travel’
The note further says that even domestic travel could pose potential risks for any student on a visa amid political priorities that continue to evolve and change suddenly.
“It is unclear whether there may be implications also for domestic travel within the United States as the federal policy landscape continues to evolve,” Carey wrote.
More on travel:
- Trump starts presidency with three executive orders affecting travel
- Government issues new travel advisory on popular beach destination
- Another country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors
Anticipating such a crackdown and repercussions for international students ahead of time, the University of Pennsylvania put out a similar note last fall saying that any international students may want to return to the U.S. before Trump’s inauguration.
“If there are changes to US re-entry policies which may possibly occur during a change in administration, we will provide updates as needed,” the December 2 statement reads. “To avoid any unexpected issues, we advise returning prior to the presidential inauguration on 1/20/2025.”
“President-elect Trump has indicated that mass deportations could begin soon after he takes office,” Cornell University said in a similar note last December.
Over at Harvard, the international student society representing foreign students has requested an emergency meeting with the wider Harvard International Office for guidance on what students who may need to travel internationally should do.
“They told us that it’s a little bit too early to have a meeting because everything is still unclear,” Saskia Hermann, a co-president of the Woodbridge International Society told the Harvard Crimson. “I think that’s still a big thing — that the executive orders and everything that’s happening — it’s not quite clear how that will affect people directly and how it’s going to be implemented.”
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