Foreign Harvard students were detained at Logan Airport, denied visas after Trump proclamation
The June 4 proclamation led to the detainment of some of the university's international students and scholars at Boston Logan Airport last week, while others were wrongly denied visas, Maureen Martin, Harvard's Director of Immigration Services, wrote in the filing.
In some cases, foreign students and scholars encountered barriers to entry into the U.S. even after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order that nullified the proclamation until a final ruling on it is decided, Martin wrote.
Read more: President Trump moves to bar Harvard's international students from entering the U.S.
'At this time, Harvard cannot assure its international students and scholars that they will be able to travel to Cambridge to study at Harvard free from disruption caused by the federal government, which could occur without notice and have immediate effect,' she wrote.
The proclamation was just one of the Trump administration's many attacks on Harvard's foreign student population, which has become a frequent target amid its ongoing feud with the university.
On the night President Trump's proclamation was issued, Martin called Customs and Border Patrol at Logan Airport to ask how officers would handle international Harvard students who were already flying to the airport, she wrote. They 'did not seem to know the answer.'
'Making the Presidential Proclamation effective immediately — rather than setting an effective date in the future — caused significant confusion and disruption, given that visa holders were literally in the air on the way to Boston when the Proclamation issued," Martin wrote.
The day after the proclamation was issued, an 'unknown number of individuals' affiliated with Harvard were sent to an enhanced security screening 'where they were detained for many hours with no ability to contact anyone,' Martin wrote.
Read more: 'Government vendetta': Harvard fights back after Trump blocks its foreign students from US
The next morning — despite the fact that the proclamation was no longer supposed to be in effect — Martin's office fielded calls from the families of international students and visiting scholars 'who had no idea where their loved ones were' following the arrival of their loved one's flight at Logan, she wrote.
Martin herself called Customs and Border Patrol at the airport to inquire about the students and scholars several times, but officers would not tell her whether or not they were still being detained, she wrote. At one point, she offered to send the officers a copy of the temporary restraining order, but they told her 'they were waiting on guidance from 'HQ.''
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol could not be reached for comment Friday evening.
One Chinese engineering student was detained by Logan Airport border patrol officers for six hours before being told he could not enter the U.S. due to the proclamation, Martin wrote. The officers then pressured him to withdraw his request for admission into the country.
During his detainment, officers took the student's phone, preventing him from contacting his friends, family or legal counsel, Martin wrote. He was ultimately sent back to China before he even had a chance to contact Harvard.
Read more: Judge blocks Trump admin from banning Harvard international students from entering US
One international student from India was detained at the airport with her father for over eight hours, Martin wrote. The student's father was eventually granted a tourist visa, but she was pressured to withdraw her request for admission into the country or sign an expedited removal order.
The student eventually agreed to withdraw her request, but a few hours before her return flight was set to depart, she was allowed to enter the U.S. in recognition of the temporary restraining order, Martin wrote.
At least one U.S. consulate — the one located in Munich, Germany — continued denying visas to Harvard students and scholars in accordance with the proclamation the day after the temporary restraining order was issued, according to Martin.
On June 6, a physics researcher and a business school student both had their visa applications rejected with the proclamation cited as the reason for the denial, she wrote. Both the researcher and student informed the consular officer in Munich of the restraining order, but the officer told one they received their orders 'from Washington,' and told the other that they were 'just following orders.'
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Germany could not be reached for comment Friday evening.
Read more: Funding cuts, lawsuits, foreign students: The latest on Trump's war with Harvard University
In her court filing, Martin calls attention to reporting from The Washington Post about a U.S. State Department directive sent to U.S. consulates less than an hour before the temporary restraining order was issued.
The cable instructed consulate officers to allow visa applicants hoping to study or teach at Harvard to interview and pay application fees, but to ultimately reject them regardless, according to the newspaper. Officers were also directed to cancel visas that had been approved and printed but not yet received by the applicant.
Though the temporary restraining order was issued Thursday night, the State Department didn't send a cable rescinding the prior directive until Friday evening, the Post reported.
'These visa issues are especially concerning because even with court-ordered relief, certain visa applicants may remain in a worse position than they were in before the government's actions, and they may be unable or unwilling to continue their efforts to secure a visa and join the Harvard community,' Martin wrote.
Even now, Harvard international students and scholars continue to face hurdles when trying to acquire visas, she wrote. On June 8, an Israeli visiting scholar had his June 11 visa interview appointment cancelled, and he has been unable to schedule one since.
On June 9, the CEO of an unnamed 'executive education program' was denied a U.S. visa because of the program's affiliation with Harvard Medical School, Martin wrote. This led to the CEO cancelling the program's partnership with the university 'due to concerns that similar visa barriers or travel disruptions could compromise student safety and program integrity.'
Read more: Many foreign students already fleeing Harvard University due to Trump order
Additionally, in the wake of the proclamation, Harvard was 'flooded' with inquiries from incoming international students about deferring enrollment, she wrote. Similarly, many current international students have expressed a desire to transfer to another college or university.
One incoming public health student decided to withdraw from Harvard even though she already had a valid visa 'because of concerns about her ability to focus on her studies with all this uncertainty,' Martin wrote.
'The Presidential Proclamation has exacerbated the palpable sense of fear, confusion, and uncertainty on Harvard's campus about the future of its international students,' Martin wrote.
Harvard deserves wide public support in fight with Trump| Paul Chiampa
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Read the original article on MassLive.
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