The Office of Global Affairs (formerly the International Programs Office) recommends that our UMass Amherst international community– including all international students, scholars, faculty and staff under UMass immigration sponsorship– strongly consider returning to the United States prior to the presidential inauguration day of January 20, 2025 if they are planning on traveling internationally during the winter holiday break. Please note this is not a requirement or mandate from UMass, nor is it based on any current U.S. government policy or recommendation. However, given that a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office (January 20), and based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump Administration in 2016, the Office of Global Affairs is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution to hopefully prevent any possible travel disruption to members of our international community. We are not able to speculate on what a travel ban will look like if enacted, nor can we speculate on what particular countries or regions of the world may or may not be affected.
The Univ of MA is unaware that President Obama was in office in 2017 and that Trump took office in January 2017.
This advisory was based on Trump enacting a limited travel ban, in January 2017, on 6 or 7 countries in response to a terror attack in the U.S. that occurred in December 2015 (Trump travel ban – Wikipedia):
- Executive Order 13769, Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States (January 27, 2017) – The original travel ban. Travel ban for people from seven majority-Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) for 90 days, with certain exceptions:[10]
- Also suspended refugee resettlement for 120 days and banned Syrian refugees indefinitely. Lowered cap for refugee admissions for fiscal year 2017 from 110,000 to 50,000.[10]
- Blocked by Washington v. Trump on Feb. 3, 2017. Trump declined to continue to defend in court.[10]
- Executive Order 13780 (March 6, 2017) – The second and revised travel ban rescinding the original travel ban. Travel ban for people from six majority-Muslim countries (same as above, minus Iraq) for 90 days:[10]
The travel bans were later blocked by U.S. Courts.