On President Donald Trump’s first day in office of his second term, 34 policies specific to immigration laws were enacted. These policies, some revived from Trump’s first term, included expedited deportation proceedings, increased power and resources for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and an end to federal funding for migrant support organizations.
According to Karin Chipman, associate director of Chatham University’s Office of Global Engagement, the term “international student” specifically refers to students who have a visa through Chatham, and it doesn’t include students who may have a green card, dual citizenship or other types of immigration documents. This also doesn’t include faculty and staff.
“It’s very worrying, to say the least,” said an international student who asked to remain anonymous. “Changes are being made at such a vigorous speed and in such a head-turning manner that it’s all so confusing for everyone, and that makes it difficult to inform anything or assist anyone with certainty at this point.”
With daily policy changes and increased scrutiny on non-citizens, many higher education institutions haven’t been able to finalize the ways in which they can and need to support students.
In a January email to all Chatham students, faculty and staff, University President Dr. Rhonda Phillips wrote, “Immigration status is very much a concern. We will update as more is known. Enrollment Management, Student and Academic Affairs [continue] to monitor, and we will share out as soon as any clarity is available.”
Kate Emory, former associate director for Global Engagement, said that changes to immigration aren’t uncommon.
“Changes can range from increased fees for certain applications or changes to how applications are received and reviewed, to updates on visa processing, travel and employment authorization,” Emory said.
The Office of Global Engagement sent an email to international students to inform them of the situation and has documents on My.Chatham.edu with more information about how students maintain their immigration status. Global Engagement staff are also available to meet one-on-one with students and provide additional guidance.
“Global Engagement is monitoring the information as it comes out, and we are making sure that we know how the changes will affect certain visa holders,” Chipman said.
ICE agents have been spotted throughout Pittsburgh in the last month.
“It’s upsetting when you hear stories of people who are scared to send their kids to school, afraid of ICE raids,” the anonymous student said. They expressed fear related to hearing that some universities have advised students to keep their immigration documents with them at all times to confirm their status in case of encounters with ICE.
“Many of us already have to go through the stress of obtaining visas,” said Nat, an international student at Chatham. “And now, on top of that, we must carry our documents whenever we leave campus because we don’t know if we’ll encounter ICE. That adds another layer of anxiety to our daily lives.”
Chatham has yet to make a school-wide announcement of how students, faculty and staff should approach interactions with ICE, if agents were to be present on campus. Vice President of Operations and Communications Bill Campbell said in an email that Public Safety is working with the newly established Strategic Response Team (SRT) to establish procedures related to federal changes.
The SRT, as stated in a Feb. 11 email to the University community from President Phillips, was created to monitor, implement and uphold Chatham values while complying with new laws, and students can expect to receive more information from the SRT in the future.
“Community members have the right to remain silent, and do not need to provide any information or access to outside law enforcement agencies without a judicial warrant or subpoena,” Campbell said. “Community members are encouraged to notify Public Safety of any presence of outside law enforcement on campus.”
Campbell also stated that human resources would be providing guidance for international faculty and staff, and encouraged students who need support to contact Global Engagement, the Dean of Students’ office or the Counseling Center.
Both Nat and the student who requested anonymity said they feel they can reach out to Global Engagement for further guidance if more changes were to be made in regards to immigration.
“As international students, I believe we come here not to live the American dream but rather to open up opportunities,” the anonymous student said. “Unfortunately, it seems like these [opportunities] will be closed up, not because we are incompetent or unable but because we were born somewhere else.”
For more information on immigration and your rights when interacting with ICE, visit casasanjose.org or aclu.org. For support at Chatham, contact Global Engagement or the Counseling Center.
