(Ben Shultz / Heights Archives)
In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting citizens of 19 countries from entering the United States, Boston College’s Office of Global Engagement (OGE) and the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) urged affected international students and scholars to remain in—or urgently return to—the country before the order took effect on June 9, warning that reentry might soon be impossible.
“If you are from any of these 19 countries and are currently in the US, we strongly recommend that you do not leave, as you will not be able to reenter after the ban goes into effect,” the June 5 OGE and OISS advisory reads. “If you are outside of the US and can reenter before Monday [June 9], we strongly encourage you to do so as you will not be able to come back to the US after this date.”
On June 4, President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring travel from 12 predominantly African and Middle Eastern countries and imposing travel restrictions on seven others. While its full impact on the BC community remains uncertain, as many as 15 international students and scholars may already be affected by the current travel restrictions.
The ban, which went into effect on June 9, prohibits citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States, regardless of their immigration or visa status
The executive order also imposes partial restrictions on travel from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. While individuals from these countries may still enter the U.S. on existing and valid visas, they are barred from applying for permanent residency or acquiring new tourist or student visas.
The OGE oversees BC’s international student policy and strategy, while the OISS provides advising and support for the University’s 2,500 student and research visa holders. In recent months, both offices have been responsible for interpreting and responding to the rapid succession of federal immigration policy changes.
According to OGE staff, the University has been working behind the scenes to provide individualized support for affected students and scholars. Administrators declined to discuss the efforts in detail on the record, citing concerns that doing so could expose affected students to greater scrutiny.
“The Office of Global Engagement and the Office of International Students and Scholars, along with other key University offices, are actively monitoring the evolving situation and are dedicated to supporting our entire international community during these challenging times,” Bryan Fleming, Executive Director for Global Engagement, wrote in a statement to The Heights.
The current travel restrictions primarily affect BC’s graduate students and research scholars.
The 2024–25 BC Factbook lists 13 graduate students and two undergraduates as nationals of countries named in the executive order. The figure may include students who have since graduated and does not specify countries of origin for research scholars, making it difficult to determine exactly how many individuals are affected.
After sending its June 5 advisory, BC has not yet announced a formal policy on the travel ban. According to administrators, the University is still in the process of developing a comprehensive plan.
Other universities, including Georgetown, have encouraged incoming international students from affected countries to defer their enrollment, but such a policy could pose challenges for universities if travel restrictions persist and students are forced to defer enrollment more than once.
In recent weeks, universities across the country have been left scrambling amid a series of immigration-related policy shifts. Since February, more than 4,700 international students have had their immigration statuses revoked.
On May 27, the State Department abruptly suspended student visa interviews—a move that caught many BC students off guard and prompted an advisory from the OGE and OISS.
On June 18, the State Department lifted the May 27 visa interview pause, but announced interviews would be subject to stricter social media screening measures. One of the new requirements directs visa applicants to set their social media accounts to “public” for review of any content deemed hostile toward the United States.
“[Embassy staff must] identify applicants who bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence,” the State Department memo read.
The development prompted cautious optimism from BC officials.
“We are happy to learn that the pause in scheduling visa appointments has been lifted,” Vice Provost for Global Engagement Rev. James Keenan, S.J., wrote in a statement to The Heights.
Following the new measures, the OISS recommended students comply with the social media directive.
“Given the enhanced social media vetting directive, to help expedite the visa process, consider changing your social media settings to ‘public,’” the advisory read.
While official announcements have been limited so far, administrators emphasized that support efforts for international students are ongoing and substantial.
“Of course, we are prioritizing our support for all students—current and incoming—and to keep everyone up-to-date with the best, most accurate, and confirmed information as possible,” Fleming wrote. “This is particularly important as things change and evolve quickly.”