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Student abroad not allowed to board plane home
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Music major Alejandra Monjardin (left) with fellow musicians Venancio Rius, Dylan Engquist and Carmen Sotelo. Photo submitted by Alejandra Monjardin
Travel ban temporarily prevents student’s return page 6
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Alejandra Monjardin poses with her Spanish visa. She counted down the days until she would be studying at the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio Photo by Alejandra Monjardin in Madrid.
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n NSU student couldn’t board her flight to the U.S. after her semester abroad when President Donald Trump signed the executive order on a 90day travel ban. The new order began on Jan. 27 and suspended all travel, including visa holders, from Iraq, Syria, Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also banned refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days, banned Syrian refugees indefinitely and cut the total number of refugees allowed in the U.S. by half. Although Alejandra Monjardin is not from one of the seven banned countries, the international student from Mexico experienced difficulty returning to the U.S. at the end of her fall semester studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, with the International Student Exchange Program. She blames the chaos surrounding the new order for the confusion she encountered at Adolfo Suárez Madrid– Barajas Airport in Spain on Thursday, Feb. 2. “The airport officials were very confused,” Monjardin said. “They said Trump had just passed some new regulation, and this was the first day it was going to be put into effect.” Spanish airport officials did not allow Monjardin to enter the U.S. until she purchased an additional ticket as proof she would depart the U.S. at the end of her stay. The only explanation officials could give Monjardin was that President Trump had just instated new regulations. They refused
to allow her to board her flight, fearing she Espinoza-Contreras said that though would be sent back to Spain after landing in international students’ fears about traveling the U.S. home may not currently be valid, these fears “I had four or five Spanish airport are still present and have been caused by the officials surrounding a computer, trying current political hostility toward immigrants. to look up the new rules and policies,” Currently, no international students Monjardin said. “ ... I constantly had people from the seven affected countries are NSU coming up to me and apologizing.” students. Former Northwestern President Monjardin safely returned to the U.S. Dr. Jim Henderson, however, said in an email on Feb. 3. By the end of her trip, she had that “last year, 49 students on visas from the purchased three tickets––her original seven countries ticket, a new ticket named in the after she was forced e x e c u t i v e It’s hard to realize how this is to miss her flight order studied affecting not only the people because of the at UL System from the seven countries, but also confusion and a everyone else who is here as an universities.” - Telba Espinoza-Contreras immigrant ticket as proof she “Fortunately, will exit the U.S. the vast majority “This was the (if not all) of the first time I have ever felt there was something faculty, staff and students of our universities wrong with my Mexican heritage,” would likely already be in the U.S. and Monjardin said. “Somehow I felt less than unaffected by the order,” Henderson said. or unworthy because of my nationality.” In a statement released by the News Director of the International Students’ Bureau on Jan. 31, Acting President Dr. Resource Center Telba Espinoza-Contreras Chris Maggio expressed the university’s said that travel regulations have not changed support “for all of its students and faculty for international students. (Students must regardless of race, gender, creed or national have a valid visa, passport and an I-20 form origin” and said that NSU will provide with a signature. “Exit” tickets are not a “assistance and support in every way possible requirement). for those in the NSU family that are affected “It’s hard to realize how this is affecting by the immigration policy.” not only the people from the seven The travel ban was temporarily suspended countries, but also everyone else who is by Judge James Robert on Friday, Feb. 3. here as an immigrant,” Espinoza-Contreras In a hearing on Feb.7, the 9th U.S. Circuit said. Court of Appeals heard arguments from both She said many international students sides of the issue. A decision is yet to be have come to her, worried about traveling announced, but it is expected that the losing home for fear they may not be able to return side will most likely appeal the case to the and complete their degrees. Supreme Court.