Universities are continuing to warn international students about traveling abroad this summer as the Trump administration said Friday it would restore legal status to those who had had their visas revoked.
The University of California, Berkeley, reiterated hours after the announcement that overseas travel by international students remains a high risk because immigration policies can change rapidly.
Many universities nationwide have cautioned international students about traveling abroad this summer, fearing many will not be allowed to return.
“Due to the increased risks involved in re-entering into the United States, we are advising members of the Duke international community to avoid international travel unless essential,” the university wrote last week in a memo to students and faculty. “A valid visa does not guarantee entry to the U.S.”
The administration’s change in policy came after thousands of international college students had already had their visas, legal statuses and immigration records terminated.
But that does not change the imperative to exercise caution when deciding whether to travel abroad, said Jeff Joseph, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
“Traveling outside of the country can be risky,” he said, adding that international students should consult with a lawyer. “The fact is the Department of State has unilateral authority to revoke visas for any or no reason.”
It was unclear how many campuses had issued warnings about leaving the United States, but at least five campuses, including Duke University and UC Berkeley, sent notices this month to their international communities.
A recent college graduate from China, who is living in Washington, D.C., said he had to think twice about going back home in December, knowing then-President-elect Donald Trump, who promised to severely curtail immigration, would soon take office.
“I was worried that I wouldn’t even be allowed back in this country, even though I’m perfectly authorized to work and live here,” said the recent graduate, who was granted anonymity because he feared being targeted for deportation or having his visa revoked.
He booked a flight to return to the U.S. before the Jan. 20 inauguration.
International students who are under a lot of stress must make their own decisions about whether to go home and visit their families, some of whom they have not seen for two or three years, said Fanta Aw, CEO of the Association of International Educators.
“You have to understand what students are going through, and they may want to go home,” Aw said.
Thousands of students at college campuses nationwide have had their visas revoked in recent weeks by the Trump administration, which says it must protect U.S. citizens from immigrants who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten national security or espouse hateful ideology.
The administration said Friday that international students’ visas would be restored while ICE develops a “framework” for revoking immigration records.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the State Department had revoked 300 or more student visas, as the White House increasingly targeted foreign-born students whose main transgression seems to have been activism.
Yet many of the targeted international students said they have not participated in protests about the Israel-Hamas war or political speech, and they do not appear to pose a threat.
“Stay here, no question,” said Joseph, the immigration attorney. “If you leave, the only remedy you have is to go to the Department of State and get a new visa, but when you’re outside the country, you don’t have the same protections of the courts that you do when inside the country.”
