AMHERST — International students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are experiencing growing uncertainty following recent changes to federal immigration policy under the Trump administration and the university’s response to those changes.
Some students have had their visas revoked, raising questions about their ability to remain in the country. Although UMass officials say they are working to support affected students, many are still grappling with fear and anxiety.
A recent survey conducted by the Amherst Wire, though based on a small sample, sheds light on how international students are feeling in the wake of these developments. Nearly 89% of respondents said they feel less welcome in the United States than they did a year ago. Another 11% said they were unsure. While only 15% said they had participated in campus protests, more than 75% reported a worsening experience on campus over the past three months.
Students who have not been directly involved in activism said they fear that what is happening to some international students could soon affect others. Roughly 30% of respondents said people close to them had been personally impacted by the policy changes.
About 61.5% of respondents said they feel uncertain about their ability to stay in the U.S., though some remain committed to staying, pursuing their education, and advocating for themselves and others.
“Even if I haven’t had any direct impact on myself yet, the new policies definitely make me feel more paranoid about what I do and how I’m seen,” one anonymous student said. “I plan on going back home for the summer, and I now worry about how smoothly or not that will go.”
Rebecca Hamlin, director of the Legal Studies Program at UMass and an expert on immigration politics, said the anxiety stems from a lack of clear communication from federal officials.
“There hasn’t been an announcement that there’s a new policy happening. There haven’t been any normal procedures followed,” Hamlin said. “It’s the uncertainty that’s so damaging.”
Despite the federal ambiguity, Hamlin said UMass has provided a model response compared to other universities. “We are actually the standard that other schools are pointing to right now,” she said. “Our administration has stepped up to help our students.”
In a statement to the Amherst Wire, Emily Gest, associate vice chancellor for news and media relations, said the university is committed to “protecting the privacy, wellbeing, and safety of its community.”
Gest said UMass launched a Federal Actions webpage in January to centralize resources and updates related to immigration and federal policy. The university’s Office of Global Affairs is working with each affected student individually and confirmed that all 13 students whose visas were previously canceled have since had them restored.
