Two months ago, South African researchers discovered the new COVID-19 variant now named Omicron. While their prompt report garnered accolades from the World Health Organization, many countries in the West, such as the U.K., U.S. and Canada, readily enacted travel bans against South Africa and other African nations. The justification behind the travel bans was to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant. However, according to the WHO, “Implementing blanket travel bans, which are not effective in suppressing international spread, as clearly demonstrated by the Omicron experience, … may discourage transparent and rapid reporting of emerging [variants of concern].”
ICE's Summer Policies Changes Created Uncertainty for International Students
On July 6, 2020, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced that nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students could not take full online course loads and remain in the United States. International students risked deportation if the college or university they attended switched to remote learning for the fall 2020 semester, which many had already announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Trump’s travel ban will have significant impact on affected countries
BY SARAH LOFSTROM ’19
GLOBAL EDITOR
On January 27, President Trump issued Executive Order 13764 prohibiting travelers from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan from entering the United States for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days. The Executive Order is entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the U.S." as reported by CNN.