Even while both of President Donald Trump’s executive orders banning travel from six Muslim-majority nations have been stalled by federal district courts, the fear of a travel ban is already creating negative impacts for schools, according to a new friend of the court brief filed by 31 universities on Friday.
Citing the importance of international diversity, the brief outlined harmful effects that even the possibility of a travel ban is causing.
With many admission letters for fall 2017 already sent out in the past month, prospective international students are worried about whether they will be able to obtain visas in time for the upcoming term.
“Many of these students may choose to enroll in universities in other countries, rather than pursue their education in the United States,” the brief states. “This problem affects not only prospective students but also faculty and scholars.”
The brief mentions students from Iran admitted to different programs at Yale University and are now rethinking their options. At the University of Pennsylvania, three faculty recruits may have positions eliminated by the executive order.
The brief also says the travel ban harms current students and faculty on campuses because the executive order separates them from their family members living abroad.
“Students, faculty and scholars from countries affected by the Executive Orders and from many others are now hesitant to leave the United States, because they fear their re-entry may be barred or made more difficult by immigration authorities,” the brief states.
