By: Katie Krahulik
Following President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban certain immigrants and refugees from entering the United States, concerns have grown among the Hofstra community regarding how it will impact the multitude of international students that currently attend the university.
On Jan. 27, Trump’s ban temporarily put a block on citizens entering from seven predominantly-Muslim countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
In a message released to the university after the ban was implemented, President Stuart Rabinowitz denounced these new regulations and revealed that a Hofstra student was prevented from flying to the U.S. for the start of the spring semester.
“We have been in contact with a Hofstra student from one of the seven countries identified in the executive order who was prevented from boarding his scheduled flight to the U.S. over the weekend, despite holding a valid student visa,” Rabinowitz said. “We are deeply disturbed that this student may be unable to return to continue his studies, and are exploring all options.”
Rabinowitz additionally highlighted Hofstra’s goal to maintain a tolerant and inclusive campus.
“Hofstra remains committed to doing all that it can to support the rights of all students and faculty to live, work and study without fear of harassment or intimidation, and in fostering an environment based on our core values of tolerance, inclusiveness and respect,” Rabinowitz wrote.
Students at Hofstra came together in opposition of these new regulations. A service was held in the Student Center on Feb. 3 where people of a range of religions vocalized that the Hofstra community will not stand for this; those affected are welcome not only on campus, but throughout the entire country as well.
Sayeed Islam – a Farmingdale professor who attended the event – was quoted by Long Island Wins, a non-profit communications organization, “We are all people striving for freedom, and we must allow all in America to practice their religion freely.”
Concerns have risen among many international students across the board, especially upperclassmen facing the pressures of finding a job after graduation.
The OPT (optical practice training) program already gives rise to reservations for international students, given that they must find a job within 90 days of graduating in order to remain in the United States. The pressure for these students to find a job has been multiplied by the recent policy changes made by Trump.
“I’m originally from Zimbabwe. Staying is really important because there’s really nothing to go back to,” said Nonny Machi, a senior biochemistry major. “We’ve had the same president for over 30 years, we don’t have a currency due to hyperinflation and we’re pretty much in a constant state of political unrest. So at this point, my only other options are to go anywhere and everywhere else but home that’ll take me.”
Machi, who graduates this spring, is still looking for a job and worries about how Trump’s executive order will impact her chances of getting one.
“Unfortunately, with the recent changes there’s a lot of fear that the visa program that I can use to get a job and work for a year will be cancelled which adds a lot of extra pressure because there’s so few companies that will even hire you as an international student because they don’t want to waste their time, energy and resources on someone who’s going to have to leave. So basically, now I have to get all the paperwork and everything sooner rather than later,” Machi said.
Roberto Figueroa, a Guatemalan international student, graduated in the fall of 2016 and said finding a job as an international student is hard enough as it is.
“Now that Trump is placing even more restrictions and making it seem like internationals are here to steal [American] jobs, it makes companies more reluctant to hire internationals because he also brings a lot of uncertainty as to what’s going to happen with those policies. So the pressure when looking for jobs is much higher because you don’t only have to convince them that you are great for the job, but also that you being an international is an asset and not a handicap in the company.”
International business major Giulia Leone, an Italian who grew up in Australia and went to high school in Peru, agreed that the process would become more difficult. Here on a tennis scholarship, she said that the United States is quick to accept international students, but the problems arrive when they graduate.
“With Trump in command it just makes it more difficult because I feel like people don’t need a good reason to turn you down. After the Muslim ban, there are rumors circulating about further cuts on work visas in the near future,” she said. “They were already scarce compared to the demand, so I feel like we are just unwanted here.”