Colleges and universities are preparing for potential shifts in immigration policies under President-elect Donald Trump, including executive orders that may impact travel, visas, and international students.
Institutions are urging caution, advising students to return to the U.S. before inauguration, and emphasizing preparedness while discouraging panic. Anticipated challenges include stricter visa processes, travel bans, and legislative efforts targeting undocumented students and employment programs for international students.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on this matter. Experts can speak on supporting student mental health during uncertain times, what policies could be on the horizon and how universities could be impacted. If you’d like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected].
Mental Health
Dr. Mina Attia is an Assistant Professor of Counseling and Human Development and Co-Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. His research agenda consists of two main branches. The first focuses on trauma and adjustment of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The second explores multicultural issues of ethics and professional development in counseling. Dr. Attia has published on these topics and provided training, lectures, and presentations nationally and internationally. He has served as a subject matter expert for the National Board for Certified Counselors and an item writer for the national counselor preparation and licensure examinations. Currently, he is an editorial board member for the International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling and The Counseling Psychologist.
Immigration Policy
Elizabeth Vaquera is the inaugural Director of the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute and an Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University. Vaquera's research focuses on vulnerable and diverse groups, particularly Latinos/as and immigrants. Her work has analyzed the character and importance of immigrant status, race, and ethnic identity in outcomes such as education, health, and emotional and social well-being. In addition to an extensive body of work published in leading peer-reviewed journals, Vaquera is the co-author of several books, the most recent of which, Education and Immigration, examines the educational experiences of immigrants and their children living in the U.S.
Marie Price is Professor of Geography and International Affairs and is also the President of the American Geographical Society (2016- present). A Latin American and migration specialist, her studies have explored human migration’s impact on development and social change, especially at the urban scale. In terms of policy, she is interested in strategies that promote migrant inclusion as well as the use of geographic sciences and technologies to address inequality and promote development. Price is currently funded by the NSF doing research on the US Mexican Border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in a project titled “Geographies of Migration and (In)Security”. She was a co-author on a report issued by the Organization of American States in 2023 on the role of local authorities in the reception and integration of immigrants and refugees in cities across the Americas.
Immigration Law
Cori Alonso-Yoder is an Associate Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering at the GW Law School. Alonso-Yoder is nationally recognized scholar on immigration legislation and the impacts of state, local and federal laws on immigrant communities. She specializes on the health policy of immigration.
Alberto Benítez is a Professor of Clinical Law; and Director of GW Law’s Immigration Clinic. Professor Benítez is an expert in Immigration Law. Benítez supervises students that handle a variety of immigration law matters including representing noncitizens, writing comments to proposed federal regulations, and disseminating information to the public.
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