When returning to Northwestern from her trip home to Iran during the Winter Recess, Weinberg freshman Rosha Sodeifi said she was excited to be back on campus. But what she didn’t expect was the five-hour questioning she received from authorities at the U.S. border, she said.
In light of President-elect Donald Trump’s potential reinstatement of a travel ban in 2025, some international students are expressing fear and anxiety over what the ban could mean for their travel obligations.
Several universities across the U.S. — such as the University of Southern California and Cornell University — already urged their international students this January to adjust their winter break travel plans, advising them to return before Jan. 13 and Jan. 21st, respectively.
While international students at Northwestern did not receive such instructions due to the early start of the quarter system, a University spokesperson said the Office of International Student and Scholar Services continues to monitor domestic and international developments and plan for potential scenarios to official immigration policy changes.
With airport security already executing thorough port of entry checks and passport inspections, Sodeifi said she was worried that traveling home may become even more difficult after Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
“When I came back (to the U.S.), they stopped me and they searched all my luggage,” Sodeifi said, recalling her experience at O’Hare International Airport. “They took me to another room and questioned me and everything,” she said.
Upon entry to the U.S., international students are expected to have their I-20 documentation available and answer any questions asked by Transportation Security Administration officers. Refusal to answer questions by non-citizen visa holders may result in denial of entry, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Sodeifi said she was “very annoyed” during the inspection because she is a dual Canadian citizen but felt that she was being treated differently due to her Persian background.
“They asked me why I’m coming to America, if I have any family here, my financial situation and stuff like that,” Sodeifi said. “I had all the right documentation and everything, so it felt excessive.”
In 2017, Trump ordered Travel Ban 3.0, which ultimately placed visa and entry restrictions on travelers from many Middle Eastern and Asian countries, including Syria and Iran.
Medill freshman Ali Mohammad, who is from Syria, said he is already facing travel restrictions because F-1 student visas are only granted for 90 days to Syrian citizens. Since his visa expired in October, he can legally remain in the U.S. but cannot return to Syria, he explained.
“When it comes to these next four years, I definitely plan to lay low,” Mohammad said. “I don’t have the courage to go anywhere. I don’t have the courage to leave the U.S. I don’t have the courage to do any study abroad programs.”
Mohammad said this was a conscious decision given that a potential travel ban could mean a total inability to renew his F-1 visa if he were to leave the country.
After Trump claimed in his 2024 presidential campaign that he would bring back a travel ban “even bigger than before,” students said they now fear the potential policy may affect even more countries and even limit the number of international students attending U.S. colleges.
“I might stay here for the summer,” Sodeifi said. “It isn’t ideal, because I do want to see my friends and family and be back in my hometown, but (the potential travel ban) does change the course of plans I had arranged before.”
Some international students whose countries were not listed in the previous travel ban — such as Greece and Brazil — also expressed feelings of insecurity about what to expect during Trump’s second term.
Weinberg sophomore Kalypso Tzimourtou, who is from Greece, said that while she didn’t adjust her travel plans after winter break, her brother — an international student at Boston University — is considering changing to an earlier flight.
Students also shared thoughts on their sense of belonging and safety on campus, specifically how their feelings may have changed since Trump was named president-elect.
“One of the moments I felt concerned about my safety here was after the Brazilian community and I had painted the Rock,” said Medill freshman Yamandú Capalbo, who hails from Brazil. “We had been there and 30 minutes later, we saw the Rock’s live camera, and there was the MAGA sign over Brazil’s flag. So in that moment, I was like, ‘Okay, these people don’t want me.’”
When asked how NU could support international students during this time, Sodeifi said she’d prefer if the University contacted affected students. Sodeifi said she wished to have more guidance such as instructions about border control and resources on border documentation.
“I was hoping in the future, Northwestern would reach out to students, especially those from the Middle East, so that it can be easier to travel,” Sodeifi said. “Because I want to go back, I want to see my family and my friends, and be back in my hometown.”
Email: alexiasextou2028@u.northwestern.edu
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