The Guardian
Email from law school professors urges students from ‘targeted’ countries to consider returning to US
Yale Law School professors have sent a warning to international students about an imminent US travel ban, as the Trump administration appears poised to implement sweeping new restrictions on foreign nationals entering the country.
In an email on Sunday night, the Yale law professors Muneer Ahmad and Michael Wishnie warned students from potentially affected countries they should consider returning to the United States immediately if abroad or avoid leaving if currently in the US.
“While the government has not formally announced a travel ban, credible reporting strongly suggests that it may imminently suspend the admission of nationals from targeted countries, just as it did in 2017,” wrote the professors, who both instruct on workers and immigrants rights. It is unclear if the email went to all Yale Law school students, and the university did not respond to a request for comment on whether an official advisory was coming.
The email followed similarly timed notices from Brown University, coming after reports from Reuters and the New York Times that the Trump administration is considering a sweeping new travel ban that could target citizens from as many as 43 countries, with 11 nations facing a complete travel prohibition.
According to the outlets, the most severe restrictions would apply to a “red list” of 11 countries whose nationals would be flatly barred from entering the US: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
A second “orange” tier would include countries facing sharp visa restrictions, including Belarus, Pakistan, Russia and Haiti. A third “yellow” tier would give 21 countries, mostly in Africa, 60 days to address security concerns.
Yale’s email guidance went beyond those from targeted nations, adding that all foreign students and scholars could face heightened scrutiny. The law professors indicated that individuals might be questioned about support for Palestinian causes by border officials and could have their visas revoked based on their responses.
“We cannot advise you on how to answer such questions,” the professors wrote, “but you should be prepared to respond to them.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/yale-warn-international-students-travel-ban
