Saturday, December 28, 2024 -As US President-elect, Donald Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, universities across the USA are warning international students including Nigerians to be aware that executive orders on immigration could affect their status in the US.
“During the first four years of the Trump administration, a travel ban
was imposed that impacted multiple countries, and resulted in many/some
international students encountering difficulties re-entering the US to resume
classes,” the University of California-Berkeley recently posted on its
International website.
“Whether such policies will be implemented again and/or blocked by the
courts or via other means is unclear. Out of an abundance of caution, we are
recommending a return to the United States prior to January 20.”
Cornell University's Office of Global Learning issued a similar warning
to students of a travel ban that “is likely to go into effect soon after
inauguration”.
“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,” a statement
from the office said, adding that students, faculty and staff from these
countries should be back in the US before the term begins on January 21.
Columbia University, the centre of the pro-Palestine protests that swept
educational institutions across the USA in the spring also sent out a warning.“As
we do with administrative changes at all levels of government, Columbia is
gathering relevant information on the incoming administration,” university
spokeswoman Samantha Slater said in an email to the Columbia Spectator.
International students are advised to return to Columbia’s campus before
this semester’s start date to avoid any potential travel delays”.
During his first term in office, Trump enacted a Muslim ban, which
blocked citizens of some Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Amid
protests surrounding the Israel-Gaza war, he also vowed to revoke the visas of
“radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners” studying at US
universities.
This, coupled with a growing level of anti-immigrant rhetoric from the
Republican Party, has some international students concerned.
Mr Trump's platform on immigration, however, has focused primarily on
stopping people from entering the country illegally. He said during a June
interview with The All-In Podcast that international students “should get
automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this
country”.
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