International Students Avoiding Even Christmas Travel Plans Over ICE Fears

Reports of international students getting detained has continued, despite failing to make major headlines in the aftermath of the alarming abductions of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil. In April a Dartmouth College student from China sued the U.S. government after discovering his F-1 student immigration status was abruptly terminated, allegedly without reason. This was “despite having never committed a crime,” according to a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire from that time. And just last week, a South Korean student at Purdue University was nabbed after a visa hearing in Manhattan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to CNN, which reported she was sent to a facility in Louisiana before being released a couple days later on her own recognizance.

Earlier in the year, Sampan asked students whether their study plans in the U.S. had changed, and many said they were avoiding the country, while some were still planning to seek higher education here. Now, to see whether these stories of detentions and deportations have affected students’ immediate travel plans, Sampan’s Hong Kong correspondent has again interviewed several college and university students. Names have been withheld to protect their identity.

Harvard Graduate Student, age 24, from Hong Kong, currently in the U.S.:

I wanted to go back to Hong Kong this summer, but given the uncertainty with re-entry, I was recommended by the International Office not to unless absolutely necessary. While no official policies bar my return, I’ve heard of a couple colleagues getting turned away at the border without cause. Like many other international students, I have decided to instead spend my summer traveling around the U.S., but I truly hope the situation will de-escalate and I will be able return to Hong Kong for Christmas for summer next year.

Cambridge University Student, age 18, from Hong Kong:

I’ve always dreamed of studying in the U.S. and after my admissions offer from U.C. Berkeley in March, I was ecstatic. But because I was studying for my IB exams (International Baccalaureate exams), I did not yet register for a visa appointment at the time, like many of my peers. We all planned to apply for our visas after completing our IB exams, which was typically common practice, as the exams were in May. Unfortunately, in late May, right after my IB exams, the issuing of visas were halted for all international students. While my peers and I all knew that eventually they would begin issuing visas again, we did not expect them to halt the issuance for such a long period of time. When the visas began getting issued again, everyone who was planning to study in the U.S. immediately booked up appointments, and due to the lack of time slots, I only got an appointment in late September. This meant that pending my visa, I would arrive on campus more than a month late. So instead, I chose to matriculate to Cambridge University. While many other factors went into consideration, ultimately being so late to my first semester pushed me to choose Cambridge. Similarly, I know a couple other friends who have also decided to matriculate to the U.K. not just because of their belated entry, but also the perceived instability with everything happening in the U.S. now.

University of Florida Student, age 18, from Netherlands:

With my visa appointment set for the middle of August, I will likely be about a week late in my arrival on campus. Initially, when visa appointments stopped, I was quite scared I would not be able to study in the U.S. this year, and truly doubted my decision to accept my offer to the University of Florida. At the time, I held offers from multiple universities in Europe, but due to the generous financial aid and additional stipends from UFlorida, I decided to commit to the U.S. While I am still set to study in the U.S., everything that has been happening has made me more doubtful of my choice, and I still sometimes wonder if I made the right choice.

Gap year student, age 19, from Bhutan:

During my gap year, I initially planned to study for the SAT and ideally go to a U.S. college, but with my family’s dissatisfaction at the Trump administration, I have decided against my decision. I will now apply to some schools in Europe and Asia instead. Beyond the Trump administration, the difficulty of getting into a US college, paired with the high cost and typically low amounts of financial aid offered to international students has led to the US not being as ideal for higher education in my opinion. While I will continue to monitor the state of higher education in the US and reconsider, it is still unlikely that I will apply for universities there in December.

High School Senior, age 18, from Hong Kong:

I was planning to study in the U.S., but have recently decided to study in Hong Kong instead. Originally, I was going to go to community college in the U.S. and try to transfer to a private university in my later years at college, but now I have decided against studying in the U.S. as a whole. I recently received my IB results, which were way better than expected, which means I have met my conditional offer to study in HKUST. While I still have the option to study in the U.S., which is quite appealing since I have a green card, I ultimately decided against it because of the many social issues prevalent, many of which I see worsening. Compared to Hong Kong, it is more dangerous, prices are higher, and overall it just doesn’t seem worth it to study in the U.S.. I’ve spoken to my parents and they agree that staying in Hong Kong just seems more convenient and makes more sense.