Late last month, a Northeastern University student from Iran—here with a legitimate student visa—was turned away from Logan International Airport in Boston and sent back to his home country by U.S. immigration authorities. The immigration officials say they unknowingly ignored a court stay allowing the student to remain in the United States pending an expedited hearing.
This is not the first time that an international student was prevented from entering this country—it’s not even the first time it happened at Logan this year. An ever-growing list of countries under a travel ban (six more were recently added)—combined with incidents like this where admitted students with a valid visa are turned away—are having an impact on higher education institutions.
First, these policies and procedures are reducing the pool of international students. Some are simply restricted from coming to the U.S.; others are afraid that once they arrive in this country, they will be stopped from traveling between home and here.
Second, the workload of admissions counselors has greatly increased as they work to help international students navigate the paperwork and bureaucracy—in many cases to no avail as the students still don’t make it to their chosen U.S. campuses.
This is a shame for a number of reasons. After a steady increase in the number of new international students for more than a decade, these numbers have fallen significantly since new travel policies were put into place. This can be attributed to the delay and/or denial of student visas as well as disinclination by students to study in the United States in view of the policies and verbiage coming from this country.
It’s disappointing not only for the obvious financial reasons that come from any declining student population, but also for the opportunity it presents for students with different backgrounds and experiences to learn, work and socialize together. In today’s global economy, it is an experience that should not be underestimated.
We welcome students, faculty, guests and their families from around the world. We believe that embracing diversity enriches our classrooms and that sharing cultures, beliefs, traditions, rituals and perceptions is a critical part of learning and growth. We are but one part of a multi-national, global ecosystem and to miss the chance to interact with students from the countries and cultures that surround and strengthen us is discouraging and short-sighted.