State's higher ed chief hears from foreign students
Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester. Many college students have said they fear potential upcoming federal actions against immigrants.
An Iranian student at Massachusetts Bay Community College cancelled one trip home to see her family and said she faced a dilemma in deciding whether to reschedule the visit.
A Sudanese citizen whose parents live in Saudi Arabia is concerned he'd put his education at risk if he traveled back to renew his Saudi residency.
An American citizen, originally from Brazil, said she's starting to feel like she and her family are not welcome.
The three MassBay students were among those who spoke to Department of Higher Education officials on Tuesday in Wellesley as Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago visited the school for a listening session with international and immigrant students who shared concerns about recent and forthcoming federal actions around immigration.
"I don't know if it's true or not, but the students certainly feel that they're going to have a hard time returning to the United States, and just the vast number of countries that were represented there just floored me a bit," Santiago said, describing the comments he heard as "pretty sobering."
Santiago told the News Service he met with about 50 students, from countries including Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Moldova and Venezuela. He said he was surprised the "wide variety" of students he heard voiced fears stoked by Trump administration actions, including those who were not from the seven countries originally included in a executive order laying out temporarily travel restrictions.
President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 order restricting travel into the U.S. from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen and halting refugee admissions for 120 days was later halted by a federal court order. Trump said in his order that the United States "must in be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those approved for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to terrorism."
Trump is expected to issue a revised order, and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that the president will discuss "his commitment to immigration and his desire for border security, and what it means not just about keeping the nation safe, but what impact it's having on the economy" in an address to Congress Tuesday night.
Santiago said he heard students "expressing fear on two levels" -- that if they left the country they would not be allowed back in, and about a "sense that they are unwelcome in this country."
Trump's initial immigration order was greeted by pushback in Massachusetts, including a protest in Copley Square, a lawsuit by two UMass Dartmouth professors later joined by Attorney General Maura Healey, and a resolution passed by the state Senate.
Gov. Charlie Baker wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, saying he was "troubled" by the stop to refugee admissions and believes the federal government should "reject broad, 'blanket' bans on immigration from particular countries."
In the Feb. 3 letter, Baker wrote that Massachusetts has about 60,000 foreign students, who account for over $2.3 billion in international activities.
"America educates more international students than any other country in the world, and the Commonwealth is a leader in that effort," Baker wrote. "Let there be no doubt that if the United States cedes its place as the global academic leader, other countries, particularly in Europe and Asia, will readily and happily step into the breach and welcome the scholars and innovators from whom Massachusetts and the nation now draw so many advantages."
The public higher education system in Massachusetts is made up of 29 campuses: 15 community colleges, nine state universities and the five UMass campuses. Santiago said he plans to hold listening sessions at other schools as well and is interested to see if there are "fundamental differences from one campus to another."
He said international students play an important role in the workforce in Massachusetts, where an aging population means more retiring workers and the growth rate of traditional-age resident students is flat.
"International students are, in many respects, the lifeblood of higher education in Massachusetts," he said.
In the long term, Santiago said he sees a need for reform that creates a "reasonable immigration system that really supports and protects students and provides the talent pool that we need.
"I don't think we should simply turn our backs to them," Santiago said. "I think we have to help them to the extent that we can, and to provide support structures, and I think the campuses are doing that, but there's still too much uncertainty as to what directives might come down out of Washington."
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