Many overseas students, once drawn to American campuses for academic freedom, are now reconsidering their futures in the U.S. amid tightening immigration regulations and political pressure.**
International Students Face Uncertainty Amid Shifting U.S. Immigration Policies**
International Students Face Uncertainty Amid Shifting U.S. Immigration Policies**
Graduates Look to Exit as Free Speech Concerns Mount**
Hassan Kamal Wattoo, 25, a law student from Pakistan, felt compelled to leave his home country due to threats from local authorities regarding his critical writings. Enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley represented a fresh start and opportunities for his legal career. However, as the Trump administration tightened its grip on immigration and civil liberties, that hope diminished.
With the administration’s harsh stance exemplified by detentions of non-citizen students protesting pro-Palestinian actions, arrests related to critical perspectives on U.S. policies, and an unexplained cancellation of hundreds of student visas, Wattoo finds himself contemplating a return home right after graduation. His parents, worried about potential scrutiny at the U.S.-Pakistan border, opted out of attending the ceremony.
Reflecting on his experience, Wattoo remarked, “That respect in the American system has kind of faded away and been replaced with this bitter animosity,” cautioning that the tactics employed by the Trump administration reminded him all too much of the oppressive environment he had fled.
The New York Times solicited feedback from international students regarding how recent immigration policy changes have affected their lives, resulting in responses from 150 individuals. Interviews with 20 students revealed a consensus: many have curtailed their travel plans and abstained from discussing controversial issues to avoid drawing attention from authorities.
This evolving landscape of fear and uncertainty threatens the very fabric of academic freedom, leaving many students questioning whether their American dreams can still be realized.
With the administration’s harsh stance exemplified by detentions of non-citizen students protesting pro-Palestinian actions, arrests related to critical perspectives on U.S. policies, and an unexplained cancellation of hundreds of student visas, Wattoo finds himself contemplating a return home right after graduation. His parents, worried about potential scrutiny at the U.S.-Pakistan border, opted out of attending the ceremony.
Reflecting on his experience, Wattoo remarked, “That respect in the American system has kind of faded away and been replaced with this bitter animosity,” cautioning that the tactics employed by the Trump administration reminded him all too much of the oppressive environment he had fled.
The New York Times solicited feedback from international students regarding how recent immigration policy changes have affected their lives, resulting in responses from 150 individuals. Interviews with 20 students revealed a consensus: many have curtailed their travel plans and abstained from discussing controversial issues to avoid drawing attention from authorities.
This evolving landscape of fear and uncertainty threatens the very fabric of academic freedom, leaving many students questioning whether their American dreams can still be realized.
