Within the first two weeks of President Donald Trump’s administration, major crackdowns on immigration and have begun. This was done through a few different signed by the president mere days after his second term began.
Here at ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University, we have many international students. ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University is ranked seventh in terms of international student population among all universities in the U.S. This has made our entire campus community attuned to the needs and challenges faced by individuals different from ourselves. We meet people from other countries practically every day.
When the Trump administration first announced its on deportations, my mind immediately turned to worrying about individuals on our campus who were here on student visas. While student visas were not explicitly mentioned in the wording of the orders from the Trump administration, concerns remain. Speaking with individuals on campus, I found that others, including some international students, were also worried about these new deportations.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, Campus Safety, in conjunction with the Office of Student Life, sent out an email campus-wide that included some information on what to do and what would happen if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were to come to our campus. The email states that “law enforcement inquiries should always be referred to the Office of Campus Safety, including inquiries related to immigration.”
Some resources were shared in this email. One of the resources was from the Center for Faith Engagement. This resource included some Bible texts, encouraging words and steps to take to protect your information and mental health. Currently, ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University has the right to release “ such as name, local address, local telephone number, gender, ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University email, place of birth,” and more. However, some steps can be taken to keep that information private through a request at the Office of Academic Records.
Another shared resource was guidelines on international student visas from the Office of International Student Services. I was able to sit down and speak with Christian Stuart, who is the associate dean of the Office of International Education. He addressed some concerns that many students have had.
“It is understandable why people may be concerned, but the grapevine rumors are very dangerous to this situation,” he said, referring to rumors that students and faculty believed ICE had already visited our campus. He said that a representative of Homeland Security comes once or twice a year already, and there is a scheduled meeting with them in the next few weeks. This does not mean that any students will be in danger.
“Students should have no concerns as long as they are following their student visas,” he said. Stuart noted that the biggest concern is that students must be enrolled full-time under student visas. In the past, some corners have been cut on the amount of credits international students have had per semester. He warned that because of the new crackdowns, deportation offices will be looking more closely at things like that and employment. Under the student visa status, students are allowed to have on-campus jobs. They can have off-campus jobs, but Stuart emphasized that they must get approval for those off-campus jobs directly from the Office of International Student Services.
On the question of whether students should carry their passports as they go to and from class, Stuart said, “The fine point of the law says they should, but I don’t want students to lose their items.” Things such as visas and passports are hard to replace. “However,” he continued, “if international students go on a trip to another state, I think having their passports and papers with them would be good.”
Based on my conversation with the Office of International Student Services, I feel that my questions have been answered within the past week. I wondered whether our university would protect its vulnerable student population; while I have yet to see an official statement from administrative offices on our campus, I feel confident that the Office of International Student Services and others are taking the time to reassure and ensure the safety of the international student population.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the Office of International Student Services.
You can contact the Counseling and Testing Center or the Center for Faith Engagement for extra support during these uncertain times.
If you receive an inquiry from a law enforcement officer, all inquiries should be directed to the Office of Campus Safety.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.