This week, I tried to write a feature story about how international students and staff at the University of St. Thomas are adjusting to the change in presidential administrations. I wanted to hear about their experiences living in the U.S. as policies regarding visas, employment, citizenship and immigration shift.
The story came to a halt when almost every source I contacted either declined to respond or declined to be named publicly. The reason? They feared for their safety.
At first, I wondered why students and staff were reluctant to talk about things like changes in visa policies. Then I spoke with a counselor at the Office of International Students and Scholars at St. Thomas. He wouldn’t immediately comment on how recent policy changes are affecting international students, adding that the office would need a week to decide whether it would be safe to do so.
Their apprehension comes from a larger culture of fear: visas are just one detail in a bigger picture of policy change for the current administration. President Trump plans to deport 15-20 million people while tightening immigration policies, and he uses rhetoric that dehumanizes immigrants.
Project 2025, often associated with the Trump Administration, suggests cutting back on H-1B visas, switching to a merit-based immigration system and imposing stricter visa approval criteria, according to Immigration Impact. These are all changes that make it harder for international students to come here and succeed.
In his previous administration, Trump blocked some students and researchers from obtaining F or J visas with his “China ban” and blocked individuals from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., according to Herman Legal Group.
Additionally, the Trump administration has targeted protesters on college campuses, threatening to revoke their right to remain in the U.S.: “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you. I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before,” writes a White House Fact Sheet.
The atmosphere of hostility toward non-citizens explains why people weren’t willing to speak up, especially regarding student visas.
The hostility is unwarranted, of course, as international students’ contributions to the economy are huge: about 100,000 foreign students graduate from U.S. universities every year. International students support about 370,000 U.S. jobs and contribute about $40 billion to the U.S. economy annually, according to data published by Herman Legal Group.
But the problem goes far beyond economic contributions. People are failing to recognize the full extent to which non-citizens are people and deserve to live without fear. These individuals are vital community members and deserve respect, safety and security.
The new administration’s attitudes toward immigration and non-citizens also impact faculty and staff at St. Thomas. One faculty member I reached out to did not feel comfortable with their name being included in the story because of their lack of tenure at the university, among other reasons.
St. Thomas has taken the first step to ensure that international students and faculty are valued. In an email to students, UST President Rob Vischer wrote: “As all of these situations evolve, we will work to ensure that our community remains informed. We are prepared and committed to walk alongside you during this time and continue building a community where every person is respected and supported.”
But is an email enough? A more tangible sense of protection is necessary to ensure that international students and faculty feel safe enough to share their stories.
A week after my meeting with the counselor from the Office for International Students and Scholars, Director Lori Friedman was available to meet. We spoke about how the new presidential administration’s rhetoric was bringing a sense of uncertainty for some.
“When hearing a lot of the rhetoric and listening to the news and that sort of thing, I take the approach of, let’s wait and see. I try not to get too overwhelmed … because talk is not action yet. So I usually wait until there’s actual actions or executive orders with details before we pivot and decide how to support international students,” Friedman said.
OISS provides counseling, visa support and employment support for those who need it.
“We’re here to fully support international students. They have rights to be at this university, just like any other students,” Friedman said.
It’s true: everyone has basic rights under the U.S. Constitution and civil rights laws, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Learn more about them here.
Find more information about key issues involving immigration and how to better support non-citizens from the National Immigration Law Center.
Sabrina Thompson can be reached at thom4836@stthomas.edu.
