Dear Matt,
I hope you were able to join the LinkedIn Live conversation, “Charting the Course for a New Political Environment” hosted by NAFSA executive director and CEO, Fanta Aw on January 22. (If not, the recording can be accessed online). She and NAFSA Board President and Chair Ahmad Ezzeddine delivered a strong and confident message, urging the field to manage the uncertainty that lies ahead through thoughtfully planning, preparing, and responding and by utilizing NAFSA’s policy and regulatory expertise and resources. NAFSA’s Public Policy experts, Jill Allen Murray and Rachel Banks, put forth NAFSA’s policy priorities for the Trump-Vance administration and provided an initial reaction to the first batch of executive orders and federal agency actions (see more below).
Aw also emphasized the importance of tapping into reliable sources of factual information and resisting the urge to react to every “tweet” or soundbite—which can be exhausting and overwhelming given the 24-hour news cycle and the misinformation that exists. NAFSA’s channels (including this very newsletter) are valuable resources in this effort!
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We have a new online “go-to” resource to stay abreast of the current administration’s executive orders and other federal actions affecting international education. Bookmark it as it will be updated often. Note the URL shortcut of nafsa.org/current-us-administration.
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NAFSA’s public statements and comments, to help you stay informed of our positions on policies (not rhetoric) as they are announced and evaluated.
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You will also be able to access
related advocacy campaigns there, as they are launched. Our partnership with grassroots advocates like you is a key tool in our collective toolbox. Thank you in advance for reading these messages and jumping in when there are concrete advocacy actions to take.
Now for the news this week…we are tracking several executive orders issued by newly-inaugurated President Donald Trump on January 20, including Executive Order: Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats. NAFSA’s website has been updated with the text of that order and an initial analysis. We are also monitoring the implications of executive orders regarding gender identity (and potential ramifications for U.S. students and higher education staff and faculty who hold Gender X passports), DEI, and other concerns.
Note that for all of these executive orders, it is too soon to know how they will ultimately affect international education, as we don’t yet know what policy pronouncements will result from these orders. President Trump is still making agency appointments and without knowing exactly who will carry out these orders, it is difficult to predict what could happen next. Executive orders can be interpreted in many ways.
We are also following the January 20 move by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to rescind a 2021 guidance memo that had required DHS officers and agents to seek headquarters approval before taking an enforcement action in protected areas such as schools, hospitals, and churches. More information can be found on NAFSA’s website. (In keeping with Dr. Aw’s comments on the LinkedIn Live, higher education institutions would do well to have a plan in place for what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials visit their campus.)
On January 22, the Laken-Riley Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives as expected and is headed to President Trump’s desk for signature. As unfortunate as the bill’s Section 3(c) is, which grants state attorneys general the right to sue to stop visa issuance to recalcitrant countries, it is unlikely that any will actually pursue this type of action immediately especially as this administration is already indicating it will take a strong stance against recalcitrant countries.
That’s a wrap for now. More to come as we know it.
Thank you for reading.
Best,
Erica
p.s. only a few spots remain for Advocacy Day 2025 so if you were planning on registering, do so ASAP!
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
