International students are taking a close look at their holiday travel plans amid increased concerns over President Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has threatened the status of thousands since he took office.
Foreign visitors are eyeing travel with fear after seeing at least one student deported over Thanksgiving break when visiting family and watching other reports of students who have been detained over the past year with no prior notification or criminal activity.
Advocates say students and schools are struggling to find the right balance between concern and overcaution amid the administration’s general hostility and lack of transparency.
During Thanksgiving travel, Babson College freshman Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was set to fly from Boston to Texas to see her family but was detained by immigration officials after going through airport security.
Lopez Belloza, who came to the U.S. at 7 years old, was swiftly deported back to Honduras. The Trump administration said she had a deportation order dating back to 2015, but her lawyer said he cannot find any record of the order and his client was never informed of the decision.
The deportation also came after a federal judge issued an emergency order that Lopez Belloza could not be sent out of the country for at least 72 hours.
“I wouldn’t typically classify her as an international student, which makes it even more alarming that here’s essentially a Dreamer going back to Texas and being stopped in a domestic flight within the United States and then sent back to her home country,” said Shaun Carver, president of the International House Association.
“Just anecdotally talking to our residents … there are some that are concerned about these types of stories and this unpredictability of who and when and how enforcement is going to take place, and certainly they’re adjusting the travel plans,” added Carver, who is also the CEO of the International House at the University of California, Berkeley.
Lopez Belloza’s swift deportation is only the latest example of the administration’s actions against foreign students.
The president has talked about wanting to limit international enrollment more broadly, added a social media component to the student visa vetting process, pulled thousands of visa registrations before a court ordered them restored and repeatedly targeted for deportation students who were involved in the pro-Palestinian movement on campuses.
Trump has also launched broader immigration enforcement efforts across the country, just this week announcing new federal action in New Orleans and the Twin Cities.
Carver notes international scholars on a student visa should not have problems entering or leaving the country.
“But this unpredictable situation, everyone must have butterflies in their stomach as they’re going through immigration at the airports and having to show their paperwork. I’m sure it’s a very uneasy feeling about it,” he added.
Advocates say visitors should be careful about renewing their visas, but students are fearing they could be flagged for reasons unknown to them.
“If you’re going to need to renew your visa, then definitely, given how long it is taking to get appointments and to secure appointments at U.S. embassies in different parts of the world to travel if your visa needs to be renewed — is a high-risk endeavor to travel because of backlogs, because of challenges in getting interviews, the amount of time it takes for processing, and the fact that, since the end of May, they have introduced additional vetting, social media vetting, all of that means that it’s going to take time, and so you are taking a risk if you’re trying to travel,” said Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
Meanwhile, students should also ensure they have no outstanding tickets, violence on their record or any blemish that could be cause for concern if they want to leave the country, including on their social media, she added.
“Those are things that they’re going to have to be much more aware of, in a way that perhaps they haven’t had to do before,” Aw said.
Universities typically give college students a three-to-four-week break for Christmas and the New Year, and many students either head home or travel to see more of the U.S.
Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, said schools have been reaching out to seek advice on how to handle communications with students during the holiday season.
Some schools do allow international students to stay on campus during break and have considered more flexible options for international students who are scared to leave the country, Feldblum said.
“All of these reports, these actions, increase the stress, anxiety and uncertainty for international and immigrant students on campuses … all the campuses want is to decrease anxiety, share accurate information and not generate panic because of anti-immigration rhetoric,” she added.