Many universities in the U.S. are telling foreign students, especially those from India, to come back from their winter holidays before January 20, when Donald Trump is set to be inaugurated as President. The schools worry there might be travel bans and stricter checks at airports once he takes office.
Even though Indian students with valid visas are generally safe, school officials want to play it safe. They are concerned because Trump mentioned during his campaign that he could carry out the biggest deportations of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.
This caution comes at a time when more Indian students are studying in the U.S. than Chinese students for the first time. From 2023 to 2024, there were 330,000 Indian students on U.S. campuses compared to 270,000 from China.
To help students, some schools have changed their schedules. For example, a data science student at Willamette University in Oregon said his classes usually start a week after New Year, but this year they begin on January 2. “Professors said it would be risky to return after the first weekend of January,” he shared, noting the stress.
Yale University even held a special meeting to ease students’ worries. One student there explained, “This was just to help avoid any problems at airports or with flight bookings.”
S Sarsan, an economics student at the University of Massachusetts, originally planned to return on January 10 but had to change his ticket. “Tickets right after the winter break are expensive. I had to pay nearly Rs. 35,000 more. Professors warned us that there could be big checks on security and our papers,” he said, emphasizing the importance of being back early to avoid issues.
The University of Massachusetts mentioned past travel bans during Trump’s first term in 2016 as a reason for this warning. They stated on their website, “We are being very careful.”
Students at other schools, like the University of Memphis and Wesleyan University, also received similar advice. A professor at Wesleyan who didn’t want to be named said, “Even if our students are legally in the U.S., we want to keep them safe and avoid any trouble.”
Balaji K, the provost at the University of Memphis, said they understand students are nervous about possible changes in immigration rules. “Students are overwhelmed by uncertainty. They’re worried about sudden policy changes that might affect their ability to work after graduating. We reassure them they have the right papers, and the university is here to help if any issues come up,” he added
