from Forbes:
Trump's Immigration Ban Could Cost U.S. Colleges $700 Million
excerpt:
Sahab Masoumian, a 22-year-old engineering student at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., hasn't been able to think of anything but President Donald Trump’s ban on visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries since his academic term began on Monday. "If I tell you I'm not fearful, I'd be lying. I'm scared," he said.
Masoumian was born in Tehran, Iran, and lived in Turkey for about one year while his family sought asylum in the U.S. Now a permanent resident, Masoumian hopes to transfer to California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and take up aerospace engineering. He dreams of landing a job at Boeing Co., the world’s largest plane maker. But since Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, Masoumian has been questioning whether he wants to remain in the U.S. after he graduates college.
It's the opposite of what Republican Party leaders used to hope for. Mitt Romney in 2012 said he wanted to "staple a green card" to every foreign recipient of an advanced degree.*
...
U.S. colleges stand to lose as much as $700 million in annual revenue if Trump’s ban on visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen becomes permanent, according to estimates by College Factual, a higher education research website.
4 comments:
The Republican bottom line: curtail immigration; make it more difficult than what already is to obtain permanent residence and asylum, increase deportations even more (Obama became known as "deporter in chief). Net result: fewer people will want to come to the US; many immigrants who are already here (documented or not) will move to other countries or "self deport" I am all in favor of curtailing illegal immigration and securing borders, but we need to address this in a rational, common sense, humane way. We need to resolve the issue of those millions living and working in the US without legal documents. We need to address the problem of those who come to the US legally and then overstay their visas (about 40% of undocumented people currently in the US, according to some estimates). We need to provide a way for international students who complete degrees in the U.S. in fields of science and technology to remain and work legally in this country.
After 9/11 our county curtailed visas from overseas, partly out of fear (understandable) but the consequences included many students who would have come here from abroad who went elsewhere. Our loss. Fresh ideas helped make this country, and that we continue to need. Vet those who come but let us not irrationally deny access to a country that has long claimed a welcoming face. They help our colleges and universities, out technology and businesses, and the diversity that has made us who we are.
Has anyone been hearing from their students about this? I have. If they are my worried about their own status - they are concerned about their parents, family, friends, etc. it's bigger than our own numbers might suggest. It might be useful to have some kind of forum on campus.
A forum would be good, perhaps in conjunction with UCI's law students/staff? They could answer questions about the travel ban and recent deportations.
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