CNN
—

Fear and uncertainty are spreading across many US college campuses ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th. Some schools are advising international students to return early from winter break, promising another travel ban like the one that left students stranded abroad at the start of Trump’s final term.

In a country where more than 1.1 million international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in the 2023-24 academic year, the former president has promised tougher immigration policies upon his return to the White House, including an expansion of his existing ones Travel ban on people from predominantly Muslim countries and the revocation of student visas for “radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners”.

International students generally have a nonimmigrant visa, which allows them to study in the United States but does not provide a legal path to stay in the country.

“It’s a scary time for international students,” said Pramath Pratap Misra, 23, a student from India who graduated this year with a bachelor’s degree in political science from New York University. NYU had the most international students in the US last academic year – more than 27,000.

On college campuses from New York to California, students have not only buckled down to take final exams before winter break, but some have also braced for potential disruption to their lives and the possibility of not being able to complete their studies. Some universities have asked students to postpone or shorten their travel plans outside the U.S. ahead of the inauguration.

Cornell University’s Office of Global Learning advised students traveling abroad to return before the start of the spring semester on Jan. 21 or to “speak with an advisor about your travel plans and be prepared for delays.”

“A travel ban will likely go into effect soon after the inauguration,” the university warned students late last month. “The ban is likely to include citizens of the countries targeted by 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 , especially China and India.”

At the University of Southern California, which had more than 17,000 international students last academic year, administrators urged foreign students in an email to be back in the U.S. a week before Trump’s return to the White House, saying that “one or more executive orders impacting travel… and visa processing” are issued. USC has the largest number of international students in California.

“While there is no certainty that such orders will be issued, the safest way to avoid challenges is to be physically present in the United States before the start of the spring semester on January 13, 2025,” the USC Office of International Service said loudly a report on the student-run media site.

Additionally, Trump’s promise of “mass deportations” has implications beyond critical industries such as agriculture, leisure and hospitality, construction, and healthcare: It is potentially complicating the situation for some students, regardless of their winter break travel plans.

At the same time, the president-elect has promised to “automatically” issue green cards to foreign nationals who graduate from U.S. colleges, a proposal that — if pursued by Trump and passed by Congress — could pave the way for potentially millions of international students to become legal permanent residents become residents.

However, shortly after Trump made that promise in June, a campaign spokesman said the group would be limited to the “most qualified graduates” and vetted to exclude “all communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters and public accusers.” Public charges refer to those who rely on or seek public assistance. Trump has not publicly mentioned the proposal since June and it is not clear how his new administration will approach the issue.

A day after last month’s presidential election, UCLA’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy reminded students that the university “will not release immigration status or related information in confidential student records… without a warrant, subpoena, court order, or upon.” otherwise required by law.”

“The university also has a strict policy that generally prohibits campus police from engaging in joint efforts with federal immigration authorities or from arresting individuals at the request of the federal government,” the center said.