HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - President-elect Donald Trump is promising the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.
International students at colleges across the country and in Connecticut are concerned.
Cautionary messages were sent to international students at Wesleyan and Quinnipiac Universities. These messages suggested it may be wise for international students to return from winter break before inauguration day on January 20.
The warnings stem from concerns that new executive orders signed on day one could impact these students.
"People are worried. We don't know what will happen after the inauguration," said Esther Karungani, a Wesleyan freshman from Kenya who had never left her country until she came to Connecticut for her fall semester.
While international students have an F-1 visa allowing them to study in the U.S., many don't know what their future will look like.
"The president is talking about how he'll deport people. It's still unclear how it will happen and when it will happen, so I think that's why there's tension," added Karungani.
In June, former President Trump proposed an idea to give all foreign students a green card once they graduate.
Wesleyan's Office of International Student Affairs recently sent an email to students:
"With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trump's plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the U.S. on January 19th and the days thereafter of the spring semester."
Quinnipiac also released a statement:
"New Executive Orders that may impact travel and visa processing could be implemented on or after that date... election transitions typically impact staffing levels at U.S. Embassies/Consulates abroad, which could impact visa processing times."
"I don't think there should be that much concern, but because it's not very clear how it will be implemented that's why there's tension and confusion. Because even though he's saying illegal, even though we are here legally by the F-1 Visa, we need to be clear how he's going to implement it," explained Karungani.
Yale, UConn, and other Connecticut colleges and universities have not issued messages to international students about this. Several schools also begin their spring semester on January 21 and already anticipate international students returning before inauguration day.