The affects of Trump’s travel bans: Columbia’s perspective

President Donald Trump’s travel bans issued months after he took office have raised concerns for international students at the University of South Carolina and local immigrants.

On Dec. 5, 2025, Trump issued a proclamation that would build on his previous travel ban from June 4, 2025 that suspended nationals from 19 countries.

The Dec. 2025 proclamation states that it would extend the travel ban to a total of 39 countries.

The expansion has created a ripple of unease among current immigrants who have had their visa issued by the U.S. government before the travel bans.

“You never know what’s going to change because there’s some new policy announcement or new court decision,” Immigration attorney Wolfgang Beichmaier said. Due to the unpredictability with immigration processing, many foreign businesses with U.S. operations had to make adjustments.

As of now, obtaining an employment-based visa has become more complicated.

“When I first started the practice in 1997, I probably provided 50 pages of documentation for a visa petition,” Beichmaier said. “Now for a visa petition…I probably have to provide 500 pages of documentation.”

International students are faced with adversity as their abilities to travel to and from the United States becomes restricted.

“There’s anxiety because they can’t go home. You know, they feel like they can’t go home, they shouldn’t go home. So they feel a bit landlocked,” Harlan Smith, director of International Student and Scholar Support at the University of South Carolina said.

Over the past 12 months, international students have witnessed changes to immigration processing that have made their abilities to study in the United States difficult.

“One of the things I noticed was the delay for some in getting certain approvals, especially for work authorization,” the International Ph.D. student, who requested anonymity, said. “When things like this happen, people or people’s lives are usually affected because they cannot move to the next stage of their lives.”

The effects of the travel bans for international students have varied, due to some countries having more restrictions than others. “For some, it’s okay to travel back home. It’s just, there’s a lot of things to consider when you travel back home. For some, it’s actually an impossible situation,” the Ph.D. student said.

International students look at the University for support as they try to adjust to the evolving landscape.

“I want them to know the division of international students and scholars support…we’re here to support them as best we can,” Smith said.

As global politics tensions rise, universities reap the consequences, especially within their graduate programs.

“Enrollment numbers are going down,” the Ph.D. student said. “Immigrants pay for more education in the United States right? So the tuition fees are different for immigrants, it’s higher.”

For non-immigrants, it’s best to remember that you always have a voice to help those who are facing oppression by lending your voice to policy change and recognizing that things need to change.

“But it starts with acknowledging yourself that these people contribute something to the economy. If people don’t know what immigrants contribute, it will be hard for them to advocate for immigrants,” the Ph.D. student said.