Colleges Advise Foreign Students to Return to Campus Amid Fears of New Travel Ban

Several colleges and universities in the United States are advising their foreign national students and staff to return to campus before President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, due to concerns about potential new travel bans. Institutions such as Harvard, Penn, and USC have issued advisories in anticipation of possible restrictions, given President Trump’s history of implementing travel bans during his first term in office.

In January 2017, President Trump signed an executive order for the “Muslim” travel ban, which created significant confusion at airports and ports of entry before being blocked through litigation. The third iteration of this ban, known as Travel Ban 3.0, was eventually upheld by the Supreme Court and restricted travel to the United States for individuals from certain countries, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as North Korea and Venezuela.

The current advisories are precautionary, as it is uncertain what specific actions the new Trump Administration might take. However, any new travel ban would likely include exemptions similar to those in Travel Ban 3.0, such as for Green Card holders, current visa holders, and dual nationals traveling on a passport from an unaffected country.

This move reflects the anxiety among international students and staff about potential disruptions to their studies and work due to changes in U.S. immigration policies.