Fri Nov 29 17:34:16 UTC 2024: **US Universities Issue Travel Advisories for International Students Ahead of Trump Inauguration**

**Cambridge, MA** – Several leading American universities are urging their international students and staff to return to the US before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th, 2025. The advisories, issued amid concerns about potential travel bans, recommend against international travel during the winter break.

The warnings stem from President-elect Trump’s announced plans to sign several executive orders on economic and immigration issues on his first day in office. This has sparked fears of a repeat of the travel ban enacted during his first term, which significantly disrupted travel for individuals from several Muslim-majority countries.

The advisories are particularly relevant given the substantial international student population in the US. India and China account for over half of all international students, with India recently surpassing China as the top source country. The potential impact on these large student populations is a major concern for universities.

MIT, for example, has advised students to carefully assess their travel plans, citing the potential for new executive orders to impact travel and visa processing. The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, similarly recommended that international students and staff return to the US before the inauguration as a precaution. Wesleyan University is also monitoring the situation closely, expressing concerns about potential policy changes affecting international and undocumented students.

While universities emphasize that these are advisories, not mandates, the recommendations highlight the uncertainty surrounding President-elect Trump’s immigration policies and the potential for significant disruption to international travel. The experience of the 2017 travel ban serves as a cautionary tale for universities and international students alike. The universities advise students to prioritize being physically present in the US by January 19th to minimize potential re-entry difficulties.

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