The Student Visa Interview Pause and the Escalating Climate of Fear

At FIUTS, we work every day with young people from around the world who come to the United States to pursue education and opportunity. These students contribute to classrooms, laboratories, and workplaces. They build friendships across languages and borders. And they build lives with the potential to become leaders, problem-solvers, and bridge-builders in a world that needs their leadership.

The recent pause in student visa interviews and travel bans from several countries is just one more signal to international students and their families that the United States is becoming a harder, colder place. This comes on top of terrifying news about immigration raids, detentions, and arrests in communities across the country. The message is about exclusion and suspicion and fear; not only for those directly impacted but for every parent who worries what might happen when their child chooses to study here.

At the core, we all want the same things. To explore the world. To learn and to strive for something better. These are human instincts, no matter where you come from. When our country closes its doors to others or treats people with cruelty, we not only harm the lives of students and workers, but we also put our own citizens at risk of retaliation in other countries. That isn’t safety. That’s losing our way.

What can we do? We can speak out. We can call our representatives and demand a stop to these harmful policies. FIUTS joins others across the country in asking Congress to intervene and prevent further damage to our higher education system and our communities. You can take action today through this campaign with NAFSA: Standing for Students and Scholars.

To students in our community, FIUTS is here for you. If you are feeling anxious, disconnected, or just need a place to hang out, our office is open. Stop by, talk to the team, or just sit for a while. Bring some friends and play a board game in the lounge. We are expanding our summer programs and events to give you more opportunities to connect, make friends, and feel supported. You are not alone.

This is a difficult time, and many of us are feeling helpless and overwhelmed. But silence won’t make things better. At FIUTS, we’ll keep speaking up and supporting one another, especially when everything feels uncertain.