CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia and Marshall universities are providing advice to international students after President Donald Trump’s executive order stopping immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
A federal court in Brooklyn on Saturday night granted an emergency stay, and WVU and Marshall issued their advice to students prior to that.
“We’re advising all the international student and scholar population that it is more important than ever that they carry documentation verifying their legal status in the United States and strictly abide by the rules and regulations governing their immigration status,” William Brustein, the school’s vice president for global strategies and international affairs, said in a statement issued by WVU.
Trump’s order calls for an immediate suspension of immigration from countries with ties to terror, including Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya, for a period of 90 days. It also calls for the complete suspension of Syrian refugees for an indefinite period.
WVU says it has 69 students from Iran, 27 students from Libya, 13 from Syria, 13 from Iraq, four students from Yemen and one from Sudan. There are no Somalian students, WVU says.
Marshall said it was trying to assess the situation to provide advice to its international students.
“We are currently checking to confirm how many students we have from the countries listed in the order, and we will do everything possible within the law to assist and retain all our international students,” according to a statement from Marshall University President Jerome Gilbert.
The statement noted that Marshall has more than 550 international students from 56 countries.
“These countries are valued and welcomed members of the Marshall family,” Gilbert stated. “Their presence adds immeasurable value to our campus by bringing the richness of their cultures and experiences to Marshall and Huntington.”
Gilbert continued to state, “We will continue to monitor this evolving situation and, as more information becomes available, we will communicate with those affected members of our university community.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that colleges across the country are working to respond to the executive order.
“The main message was one many institutions had been spreading well before Friday: Students and scholars, if you might be affected by such an executive order, don’t leave the country,” the Chronicle reported.
The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities estimated that more than 15,000 international students could be affected by the ban, roughly 12,000 from Iran alone.