Aji Fatou Sakho
Staff Writer
If President Trump’s Executive Order to ban several people coming to the United States from different countries were to go back into effect, it could affect domestic and foreign students enrolled in colleges such as TJC.
The countries that were listed include Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Iran and Iraq, their populations being mostly Muslim.
U.S citizen, Marah Snoubar, a TJC student who was born in Syria (one of the listed countries) was concerned that she may never have the chance to visit as she may be restricted from entering the U.S when coming back.
“I moved here when I was three, but we went back [to visit] every two years… the thing that was stopping us was from the war (in Syria)… but now I guess we just can’t go anymore,” she said.
Although she lives in the U.S, Syria is the place she considers home and believes that the president is trying to build a better country but going about it the wrong way.
“He’s trying to do what’s best for our country but it’s not what’s best,” she said.
This ban, targeting the Islamic religion, also disturbs TJC Muslim students who are not from such countries.
“I don’t like it at all because those countries never really did anything and there’s no real accurate reason why he did that,” said Sheza Ashraf, a TJC student.
“The countries that actually did stuff (are) like Saudi Arabia… they’re not gonna ban them because the oil comes from them” said Huma Sajid, another TJC student.
Moreover, they are also concerned about their family relations in their respective countries.
“Right now, Pakistan isn’t on that list but you know in a couple of days it might be… I have family members that are living there and I’m afraid that they won’t be able to come back,” said Ashraf.
Apart from domestic students, this ban could also have a toll on international students.
Applying to colleges internationally requires an F1 visa which is filed by nonimmigrants that want to learn in the U.S.
TJC accepts a vast amount of diverse people and currently has students coming from eighty different countries, but Daisy Larue, the International Advisor of TJC, says that none of her students that applied are from the banned countries.
“F1 visa is completely different than any other visa, and so they come under different situation because they prove that they are coming to obtain education. So that’s different, I’m thinking,” she said.
If this ban affects her students, she is certain that she will be alerted by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
“Well at this time (SEVIS has) not sent any information related to that…if something comes up I will make sure to let my students know,” she said.
