Three years ago, Alejandra moved from Colombia to study at the University of Pittsburgh. The transition was challenging and frightening, but it’s been “the most transformative experience” in her life.
She’s felt welcomed and met wonderful people in the city. She said it’s unbelievable how much she’s grown.
After Donald Trump won the presidency a second time, she began to get worried. Friends were telling her that they’d overheard disparaging remarks about Latinos near campus. Her already significant anxiety grew once she received an email from the program currently sponsoring her visa.
It warned scholars that the program could come under fire in the new administration. During Trump’s first, there were attempts to reduce funding. On top of that, Trump recently announced that the U.S. would impose a travel ban and visa revocations on “party members, family members and supporters of the Colombian government,” in response to the country’s initial refusal to accept two flights carrying deported migrants. His administration later said visa restrictions would lift after the first flight is accepted.
“All of us as international students here, even when we are OK in terms of migratory documents and we have our visas and everything, we can be scared too of what is changing.”
With Alejandra having to renew her visa soon, any potential processing delay or rejection could prevent her from completing her degree on time. Public Source is withholding her full name at her request due to concern that publicity could have adverse effects on her scholarship.
She’s not alone in her worry.
On college campuses nationwide, many international students are anxious. They question what could change over the next four years and how they might be impacted. All the while, experts are prompting colleges and universities to consider the best ways to support students through this.
“If they are worried about what will happen … of course, all of us as international students here, even when we are OK in terms of migratory documents and we have our visas and everything, we can be scared too of what is changing,” she said.
Since returning to office, Trump has issued dozens of executive orders, with many focused on immigration. One of these orders could set the stage for an expanded version of his 2017 travel ban barring entry from several Muslim-majority countries.
The order calls for enhanced screening and vetting for people seeking visas and directs the creation of a list of countries for which a ban would be necessary. The list must be completed within 60 days.
Trump’s 2017 ban was met with legal challenges and eventually didn’t include those with student visas in its final version, said Sarah Spreitzer with the American Council on Education [ACE]. However, students were being turned away at the border because of the policy.
Throughout Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, he vowed to reinstate and expand the ban, as well as revoke the visas of those he deemed to be “radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners” including college students.
The White House did not respond to Public Source’s questions about the effects of the orders on international students and the concerns heard on campuses.
Universities on guard
In Pittsburgh, some colleges and universities are keeping close watch as the orders continue to flow. Pitt declined to answer questions about plans to support students who may be impacted by future changes but said in a statement that guidance is being tracked and updates would be shared with international students, faculty and staff “as needed and relevant.”
The university’s Office of International Services joined other schools nationwide in advising anyone traveling over winter break to return to campus before Trump’s inauguration. The office also hosted an event this week on presidential powers to discuss how executive orders are implemented and has recommended that incoming students apply for visa appointments as early as possible.
“We want to assure you that Pitt values your presence on our campus. We will continue to do everything we can to support you,” read an email sent to students on Jan. 22.
While Alejandra said the email was a nice gesture, she hopes the university can maintain its support, “especially in this moment in which things are getting even harder.”
Spreitzer with ACE thinks it’s better for colleges and universities to “wait and see” before sharing messages to students that might cause panic.
At Carnegie Mellon University, where a large percentage of students are from overseas, a spokesperson wrote in an email that students are being told to monitor the Office of International Education as well as government websites to stay aware of any changes made. CMU’s press office did not answer questions about plans to support students.
‘Taking a mental toll’
Andrés García-Rubio, a Ph.D. mechanical engineering student at CMU, is “extremely stressed out.” He constantly has the New York Times open on his computer and said he’s closely following the new administration’s actions.
As a student from Mexico, he feels impacted by negative rhetoric about Mexican immigrants in the U.S. on top of worrying about whether he’ll be able to remain in the country after he’s finished his degree.
International students in STEM fields can be granted an extension to stay in the U.S. and work for two years after graduation, but the program called Optional Practical Training [OPT] has been the target of some demands by Trump supporters to end it.
Now, García-Rubio feels like his future is out of his hands and there are no avenues for support.
“My friends here are great but … they don’t need to — and why would they — do all the research on immigration hurdles,” he said.
He is also the only international Latino in the mechanical engineering graduate department, he said. He feels isolated and alienated.
While Trump hasn’t yet signed anything regarding OPT, García-Rubio’s mental health has been affected by the concern he carries for other immigrants in the country.
“Having lived in Houston with an undocumented family and coming from — my city, it’s not a border town but we are pretty close to the border,” he said. The constant stream of news “takes a mental toll.”
Hoops, scrutiny and impact
Over 1 million international students are studying in the U.S., with the majority hailing from India and China. The 2023-24 school year saw a record high number of international students in the country.
Last June, Trump said on a podcast, “You graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country.” His campaign team later clarified that this would be only for the “most skilled graduates who can make significant contributions to America.”
With these seemingly contradictory stances, Natasha Garrett finds it a little difficult to know exactly what to tell students who are concerned about the future. She’s the director of international student services at La Roche University, where a significant share of the population comes from other countries. The uncertainty surrounding what will happen is frustrating for her.
“He says one thing, he does another,” Garrett said.
Garrett believes international students are “the most scrutinized immigration population.” With all “the hoops” they jump through and monitoring by the government they endure, she wants people to understand students aren’t “a threat to anyone.”
She thinks everyone benefits from the presence of international students. They not only add to the country’s cultural fabric but contribute more than $40 billion to the economy, she said. And she’s willing to educate anyone who wants to learn more about international student life.
Spreitzer said ACE wants to share with the new administration that the policies and orders targeting immigrants could send a message that the U.S. is an unwelcoming place for international students. She worries that the number of future student visa applicants will decrease.
A huge investment
The choice to study away from home is not done lightly, Garrett at La Roche said. Her office’s goal is to make sure students have the resources they need to be successful even after graduation. Because of this, she said the university will remain consistent in supporting them “in any way possible,” no matter what happens.
“It’s a huge emotional, financial investment, not just on the part of the student but also the family members, and to add a layer of anxiety on top of all that, I definitely empathize with the students.”
Alejandra’s parents have waited for two years for an appointment to receive a travel visa to visit her. Their appointment is in August. She desperately wants them to be able to see her graduate in 2028, and “it will be so, so frustrating” if they can’t.
But beyond that, there’s something Alejandra is even more upset about. Her time in Pittsburgh, she said, has changed her life and she wants other students to be able to benefit from that.
“It is an open door for growing up, for building community beyond borders,” she said. “Just thinking that those doors will be shut down for other people like me makes me so angry. So, so angry.”
Maddy Franklin reports on higher ed for Pittsburgh’s Public Source, in partnership with Open Campus, and can be reached at madison@publicsource.org.
This story was fact-checked by Bella Markovitz.
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