Legal immigrant and international students like Sarah Cole and Marubini Koka feel that they have to be vigilant, even on their own campus. Being excessively reminded to carry sensitive documents to classes and field experiences and paying close attention to ICE raids on other campuses, the students are subjected to unprecedented fears.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns on birthright citizenship, travel bans, DACA changes and visa restrictions under President Donald Trump’s administration have affected international people and immigrants across the country. Some of these changes have also impacted Howard students, leading to new worries and HUSA Senate legislation.
Cole, HUSA Senator for the College of Engineering and Architecture and chair of the International and Transfer Student Committee, authored the Immigrant and International Student Support bill.
The new bill passed on Feb. 5, “aims to address concerns among international and immigrant students at Howard University, particularly regarding recent changes to federal immigration policies,” according to the HUSA Senate Instagram.
This bill came as a response to the lack of communication about the current immigration changes on campus, Cole said.
“Aside from the international student community, I felt there were not enough discussions in place. I wanted to represent my community and bring more awareness to the effects of these political changes on the communities of immigrants, and international students,” Cole said.
Marubini Koka, a sophomore biology major from Johannesburg, South Africa, agreed. She said the international student office works to do as much as they can, sharing resources and affirmations, but Howard as a whole could do and say more.
Cole believes a main problem is Howard’s campus not having a centralized place for resources. She said that most administrative offices cannot address the unique challenges immigrant and international students face. She gave the example of seeking off-campus housing.
“It’s very difficult for students without a social security number, or a credit history or a guarantor when their family members are not in D.C. or even in the United States,” she said.
Cole continued, saying that the international student organizations supplement a lot of the care and support for students. She hopes her bill brings more awareness to the real-life effects of these changes on students.
HUSA Senate will publish an educational post detailing ICE regulations and Howard’s status as a private institution.
A junior computer science major from Kingston, Jamaica, Cole also currently serves as Vice President for International Pals (IPals). The non-profit organization provides resources to international students with the goal of fostering community.
The HUSA educational post and IPals’ [International Pals] semesterly town halls “will allow the domestic community to hear directly from the voices of international and immigrant students,” Cole said. “Non-traditional communities are often underserved and underrepresented on campus, so it is important to recognize their challenges.”
Since the passing of the support bill, HUSA has held an event for nontraditional students to learn about the H-1B visa process, securing internships and full-time roles and leveraging alumni networks for career growth.
Junhyuck Han, the international student advisor at Howard, maintains the status of students who are attending the university under F-1 and J-1 visas.
F-1 visas are academic student visas that allow citizens of countries outside the U.S. to enter as full-time students at an accredited college or other educational institution. J-1 visas are non-immigrant visas for professors, students and exchange visitors who are participating in cultural exchange programs like medical or business training.
Han also assists students with securing on and off-campus employment.
Han said Howard has about 1,000 F-1 visa students and 840 of them are currently enrolled. The rest of the students have graduated but are working off-campus on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) permit. OPT is a temporary work permit that allows F-1 international students to gain work experience in the U.S. for up to a year.
He said there are around 50 J-1 scholars or exchange students.
Koka expressed that the changes under the Trump administration have not directly affected her but might make her rethink her post-graduate plans. She wants to go to medical school but said this adds a con to her list of reasons to stay in the country rather than go home.
She referred to Trump limiting H-1B visas which relate to permanent residency as something she will have to consider down the road.
As southern regional chair for the African Student Association, Koka said that the new presidency has raised some fears and anxieties. She said she has felt a need to be more vigilant.
Even though she is in the U.S. legally and has her paperwork she said now she is worried about being pointed out and subjected to an experience that she doesn’t want to go through. She has been reminded by the International Student Office and her mother to travel with her passport and other paperwork.
Cole is feeling the same change of energy. “As an immigrant myself, I feel on edge in this tense new environment,” she said. “Awaiting communication from the school while receiving resources from my mother in Jamaica—who insists I must carry sensitive documents—leaves me unsettled. I no longer know what to expect.”
Han confirmed that the International Student Office told their students to take photos of their documents when traveling, his main focus is their preparation.
The International Student Office has not been notified of any regulation changes or updates from the government, “but I understand students’ fear of what will happen to their status or even on campus,” Han said.
Han is fearful of one thing. He said his office had a meeting with the external team, and were told that there was an ICE raid at Morgan State University. Because of this the International Student Office believed Howard may be next.
The International Student Office sent out an email to all of their students on how to be prepared, including a list of law firms and legal clinics that may assist in navigating any legal concerns students may have and rights for immigrants.
“Everything remains the same, but the fearful thing is the ICE people,” Han said. “They might just come to our campus or nearby campus, just pull over students, check their status. But I don’t want them to be afraid because as long as they maintain their status, doing what they have to do there should not be a problem.”
The HUSA Senate and the International Student Office aren’t the only ones with ICE concerns. Chango, the Howard Afro-Latine Student Association & Spanish Speaking Society also made an educational post about knowing your rights when dealing with ICE.
Howard sent a university-wide email providing guidance for immigration and customs enforcement interaction on campus.
“Community members (faculty, staff, and students) have legal rights and responsibilities that everyone should be aware of to safeguard those rights as well as the rights of the University,” the email stated.
The email warned that ICE may arrive on campus looking for specific individuals or attempting to question and detain others on-site.
If ICE agents come to campus, the university advised the Howard community to be polite and contact the Department of Public Safety (DPS) immediately.
The email provided guidance on attaining ICE agents’ identification, agents attempting to enter non-public areas, and what to do if agents have a warrant or subpoena.
The university also included recommended responses when encountering ICE agents along with resources for legal aid contacts, employee assistance programs and union representation.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
