The implications of President Donald Trump’s immigration ban have echoed fear in the hearts of not only those across oceans, but also in those on American soil and universities.
On Jan. 27, Trump announced a 90-day ban for seven Muslim-majority countries — Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen — keeping the citizens of these countries from entering the United States on any Visa category, as well as a 120-day ban for Syrian refugees.
This ban prevents those who are permanent residents, or green-card holders, of the United States traveling overseas to visit family or for work. While the ban is in place American citizens are advised not to travel to these countries.
Graduate student Senan Hafez said these new policies have created waves of uncertainty for a few students at Oklahoma Christian University. Hafez was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, but he carries his parents’ Syrian citizenship.
Hafez said the process of carrying Syrian citizenship into the United States was difficult long before Trump set his policies in place. After Hafez was referred to Oklahoma Christian by his academic advisor in the UAE, Hafez said he anticipated a strenuous process before being accepted, even though he has never been on Syrian soil.
“For a person who is carrying Syrian citizenship, even if he has zero history in his country, it’s still difficult for him to get a visa to come to the U.S.,” Hafez said.
However, Hafez said the process of being accepted by Oklahoma Christian moved quickly, and he began his graduate studies in the fall of 2016. According to Hafez, when he came to the U.S., the doors to his academic dreams swung open.
“I found life had started for me,” Hafez said. “When you come here, your academic dreams start to get realized. You can’t say the sky is the limit — it’s boundary-less. You want to gain more knowledge, you want to gain more experience, you want to build your connections, and it’s working. This is a great place for that.”
Before Trump’s policies, Hafez said he intended on pursuing a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. in the United States, but now his academic future is unclear. Although the ban is only for 90 days, Hafez said he is unsure what to expect as a student carrying Syrian citizenship.
“I’m feeling difficult right now,” Hafez said. “I don’t know what I have to do. Still nothing is clear. What’s the next step going to be if I want to get more knowledge or have another master’s? It might be the end of the road. I might not be able to do this. Where I have to go after this? I still don’t know.”
Hafez said one of the reasons he chose to study in the United States is because he is fond of American people and culture, yet now he feels rejected for something he cannot change.
“Because I’m only carrying the nationality I got from my parents from a country I never lived in, I feel like I’m banished,” Hafez said. “It’s a really difficult feeling. I carry all the love for America and American people, and I love them so I’m here.”
Senior Amanda Kohandani said she is also fearful of the possibilities of future actions towards immigration. Kohandani’s father immigrated to the United States from Iran when he was 20-years-old in order to pursue a college education.
Although most of Kohandani’s paternal family has since immigrated to the United States with her father, she still has two cousins in Iran, one of which was scheduled to move to the United States prior to the ban. Because of this, Kohandani said the policies have been especially difficult for her family.
“My cousin was one month away from coming to the U.S.,” Kohandani said. “But since there’s a 90-day ban, he is put off even more. It’s hard for them.”
Kohandani said she feels the ban goes against core values the United States was founded on. Kohandani also said the United States is supposed to represent cultural diversity and acceptance, but now the country reflects fear and prejudice.
“To me it seems like polar opposite,” Kohandani said. “America was founded on ‘Everyone is welcome’, and now it’s, ‘You’re only welcome if you’re from these certain countries, and if you’re not a Muslim or you look like us.’ It just seems like the tables have turned.”
Although the ban is not permanent, Kohandani said her family is afraid of other potential changes in immigration policy.
“My dad is scared of what’s next,” Kohandani said. “If Donald Trump can do this, then what does that mean for my family? Not saying they’ll get deported, but what if? What if my dad is never able to go back to Iran to see his home, where he grew up, where my grandparents are buried?”
Senior Jackie Acosta and her family immigrated to the U.S. when Acosta was one-year-old. Acosta said the process of becoming a U.S. citizen is more challenging than people realize, and although she has lived on American soil since she was one, Acosta did not receive American citizenship until April 2016.
Acosta said although Trump’s ban does not apply directly to her, she feels as though the ban is a part of a larger attack on immigrants from countries all over the world. According to Acosta, she was fearful of Trump’s actions towards immigrants prior to his inauguration.
“His character with how he’s been talking about people in hateful ways was very scary, and still is scary,” Acosta said. “It’s not comforting to know that someone like that is in leadership, just because he’s a very hateful person and he’s specifically targeting a group that I’m part of.”
According to Acosta, because of her situation, she can empathize with the fear of other nationalities and immigrants concerning the ban. Acosta said the future for immigrants in the U.S. is uncertain.
“It’s been a really long process for me,” Acosta said. “With all of this going on, I just don’t know what to think anymore. I don’t know how to act anymore.”
On Jan. 30, Oklahoma Christian President John deSteiguer reached out to international students in a letter as a reminder the university stands with them and offers both love and support during this time.
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