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Universities across the United States sent emails to international students and staff advising them to return to campus by January 2025, when President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term in the White House. The email comes amid growing concern over President Trump's mass deportation plan, which could affect thousands of international students, the BBC reported. With more than 400,000 undocumented students enrolled in college in the United States, all international students feel unsafe, the report quoted a University of Colorado professor as saying. The University of Massachusetts issued a travel advisory for international students and faculty in November, urging them to urgently consider returning to campus from winter break before Trump's presidency begins next January. The Office of International Affairs is including this recommendation out of an abundance of caution since it was adopted in 2016 during the first Trump administration.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Wesleyan University also issued travel warnings and urged students, faculty and staff to return to the United States by Inauguration Day. At Yale University, the Office of International Students and Scholars hosted a webinar this month to address student concerns about possible immigration policy changes. This also includes foreign students who are protected by the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) policy. In 2017, President Trump signed an executive order at the White House banning citizens of several Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela from visiting the United States. He also proposed restrictions on student visas during his first term as president. President Trump is using all available resources to step up efforts in his first term to pressure so-called “sanctuaries” to cooperate with the U.S. government in deporting record numbers of immigrants. The entire agency is expected to be mobilized, Reuters reported, citing statements from six former presidents. This was announced by government representatives and coalition representatives.

Trump supporters, including those who may serve in his second administration, expect the Republican president-elect to call on everyone from the US military to foreign ambassadors to follow through on his campaign promise to end mass deportations. Efforts include working with Republican-led states and using federal resources to confront rival jurisdictions. Immigration advocates warn that Trump's deportation initiative will be costly, divisive and inhumane, separating families and destroying communities, Reuters reports. According to the BBC, representatives of the new Trump administration have proposed creating more comprehensive detention facilities for illegal immigrants on deportation lists. His new Border Patrol chief, Tom Homan, said the priority will be removing violent criminals and national security threats from the country. However, this did not alleviate higher education concerns.