The Trump administration is finishing a travel ban that would prohibit citizens from a list of blacklisted countries from entering the US, officials told The New York Times and Reuters.
Trump ordered his administration to establish vetting and screening standards and procedures for entry into the US and submit a list of countries that do not meet them by March 21. He also directed officials to identify and potentially remove nationals from earmarked countries who entered the US during the Biden administration.
The order follows a campaign pledge and an initiative from Trump's first day in office. Titled "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other," it is meant to address "national security and public safety threats."
The order claims it will protect US citizens from "aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes."
Which states will be affected by this ban, and what impacts can international students in Texas expect? Here's what to know.
Spring break warning: Students, faculty advised to postpone international travel plans Which countries will be affected by Trump's travel ban? See 'red list' A list of more than 40 countries whose citizens could be barred or limited from entry into the United States is reportedly under consideration.
According to Reuters, the following "red list" countries are considered to be on the travel ban list:
Sudan, Venezuela, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Pakistan and Afghanistan are expected to be added to the list.
Colleges warn international students against traveling abroad in response to the Trump administration's immigration orders, which experts are calling "unprecedented," several institutions of higher education have urged international students not to leave US borders. Leaving the country could result in deportation, a reality some students and staff have already faced.
This month, a physician at Brown traveling back to the US from her home in Lebanon had her visa canceled, and an Indian Ph.D. student at Columbia self-deported to Canada following a raid by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at her apartment.
On March 16, Brown University sent a campus-wide email advising faculty, students and other community members on visas or permanent residency status to postpone personal international travel for spring break, which runs from March 22 to 30. Columbia University and Cornell University released similar guidance on their website this past week. At the end of last year, several institutions warned international students to return to the US before President Donald Trump took office.
"We understand that many in our community are feeling a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety as news media share reports of federal deportation actions against individuals who are non US citizens," Russell C. Carey, executive vice president for planning and policy and interim vice president for campus life at Brown, said in the email that was shared with USA TODAY by the university.
"Potential changes in travel restrictions and travel bans, visa procedures and processing, re-entry requirements, and other travel-related delays may affect travelers’ ability to return to the US as planned," Brown's memo also stated. Even domestic travel is unclear for now.
Many major US universities cite concerns Trump might reinstate a travel ban on certain countries after his inauguration.
The news is stirring concern among the over 1.12 million international students who fear they'll be targeted based on their nationality. In losing their visas, they also forfeit the degrees they've been working so hard to obtain. Alternatively, they may have to give up their right to travel, which means they cannot visit family back home or go on personal or school-related trips.
"It's 100 percent affecting almost every aspect of my life right now, honestly, and that's not coming from a dramatic place – there are real consequences," a 21-year-old master's student of journalism at Columbia, who did not disclose a name out of fear retribution, told USA TODAY.
After graduation in May, they were planning to visit their family in India — the first time since arriving for school in August — but told their parents not to book their ticket. They are now rushing to secure housing and a job as soon as possible since they're forced to stay in the US and will be removed from their student residence.
In the 2022-23 academic year, Texas had 80,757 international students, according to Statista. The Lone Star State claimed the third-highest number of such students among the states, behind California (138,393) and New York (126,782).
Here's a breakdown of the international student population at Texas' ten largest colleges:
• Texas A&M University-College Station: 6,000+ (2024) • University of Texas at Austin: 4,173 (2020) • University of Houston: 4,500+ (2023) • University of North Texas: 11,917 (2023) • University of Texas at Arlington: 6,325 (2022) • Texas Tech University: 2,096 (2020) • Texas State University: 1,500+ (2024) • University of Texas at San Antonio: 21,109 (2022) • University of Texas at Dallas: 10,491 (2023) • University of Texas Rio Grande Valley: 700+ (2018).
"Trump got huge support from the Muslim and Black communities in the US. As such, he may change his initial ban," says Anwar Abdifatah Bashir, executive director of the East African Institute for Peace and Governance.
