‘Return to campus before Trump takes oath’, American universities are advising students, know the reason

Donald Trump on US student visa: Donald Trump has once again been elected President of America. Trump’s inauguration is on January 20, 2025. From this day he/she will officially take command of the country as the President of America. But even before his/her return, the tension of international students and universities has increased. Like Trump’s first term, these people are beginning to fear travel restrictions, visa problems and changes in policy. Difficulties are going to increase with Trump’s return.
The situation is such that American universities are advising students to return to America before Trump’s swearing-in. Most foreign students go out of America through semester break or student exchange. Ever since Trump won the presidential election, there have been discussions that he/she is going to change the visa rules. Due to this, it will be difficult for students to get student visa easily. he/she can also impose a ban on students from some countries, which will close the doors of the US for them.

Universities are urging students to return to America

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) has issued the advisory along with at least two other institutions. In this, international students, scholars and staff have been urged to return to America before Trump’s inauguration. “This advice is being issued out of an abundance of caution as the new presidential administration may implement new policies on its first day in office,” the Global Affairs Office’s travel advisory said.

UMass Amherst emphasizes that this advice is not mandatory, but is based on past experiences. During his/her first term in 2017, Trump had imposed a travel ban on citizens of many countries. In such a situation, it is believed that the new government may again implement sudden and comprehensive policy changes. Other universities like Wesleyan University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have also issued similar guidelines.

Wesleyan’s International Student Affairs Office has advised students to remain in the United States for now to avoid potential problems. MIT outlined the possibility of executive orders impacting visa issuance and embassy functioning in foreign countries.

What is the reason for fear?

In fact, during Trump’s first term, a lot of changes have been seen in the immigration policy, due to which foreign students were greatly affected. In January 2017, on the seventh day of his/her tenure, Trump signed an executive order, through which citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries were banned from entering the country. Later, countries like Venezuela and North Korea were also included in the scope of this ban. Due to this, there was chaos at the airport and staff of many universities got stuck abroad.

Two UMass Dartmouth faculty members were detained for hours at Boston’s Logan International Airport and then released, even though they have permanent residency in the United States. Universities and other institutions had to help the affected people. There is a fear of similar policies being implemented again. This is the reason why universities now want their students as well as staff to return to the country before the oath taking ceremony.