Fearing a Trump travel ban, top US universities urge intl students to return before inauguration

Trump has promised harsher immigration policies in his second term and said that he would deport those who support 'jihadism, anti-Americanism, or antisemitism.'

By CORINNE BAUM DECEMBER 27, 2024 04:33

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump adjusts the microphone as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/BRIAN SNYDER)

Several US universities have urged international students to return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20 out of fear of a crackdown on immigration.

CNN reported that several universities have told international students to return to campus before winter break is over to ensure that they don't get stranded abroad because of a predicted travel ban like the one Trump enacted at the start of his first term. That ban targeted travelers from seven predominately Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

Trump has promised harsher immigration policies, including potentially revoking student visas from any "radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners," which comes after the US hosted a record 1.1 million international students during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the Institute of International Education.

“A travel ban is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration,” Cornell's Office of Global Learning wrote in a statement to students last month. “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.”

Looking towards his second term, Trump has promised to enact harsher immigration laws and is seeking a travel ban on places such as Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya out of fear of a massacre similar to that of October 7. He further promised to deport those with “jihadist sympathies" on the campaign trail.  

Demonstrators gather at a protest encampment in support of Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in University Yard at George Washington University in Washington, US, May 2, 2024. (credit: Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Trump promises deportations

Trump has previously said that he would send immigration officers to pro-Palestinian protests on campuses in order to protect the US, CNN reported. 

“When I am president, we will not allow our colleges to be taken over by violent radicals,” Trump said in May, as reported by NBC. “If you come here from another country and try to bring jihadism or anti-Americanism or antisemitism to our campuses, we will immediately deport you.” 

This goes hand-in-hand with a proposal from the World Betar movement, which is reportedly in contact with future Trump administration officials about pursuing legal action against a 30-person-long list of foreign students involved in anti-Israel activity on US campuses.

JNS reported that Betar's list had students from countries such as Jordan, Syria, and Egypt at elite US universities such as the University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, and Columbia. "We are processing vast amounts of video to identify those foreigners who promote hatred and support Hamas,” Ross Glick, the US director of Betar, told JNS.

The President-elect has also said that he would enforce “strong ideological screening of all immigrants to the United States” and promised that the US would block “dangerous lunatics, haters, bigots, and maniacs" from getting US residency, according to CNN.

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“We’re very uncertain about the future,” Gabrielle Balreira Fontenelle Mota, 21, told CNN. She is from Brazil and studies at NYU. “I’m not from a Muslim country or from China, which are places that Trump usually criticizes. So I don’t feel as vulnerable as other international students. … What makes me a little bit more concerned is the ideological screenings that (Trump) said he will be implementing.”

At the same time, Trump has proposed to "automatically" give green cards to graduates of US higher education institutions, including junior colleges, according to NBC reports. 

"What I want to do and what I will do is you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country," Trump said, as cited by NBC in June.

If this measure is proposed and passed during Trump's second tenure, it would be a large path to legal permanent residency for many immigrants residing in America. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign commented at the time that the proposal was only intended for highly skilled graduates and that all applicants would be screened to “exclude all communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters, and public charges," CNN reported. 

Trump has not mentioned this proposed measure since his campaign and has not clarified how his administration would approach it since June.