
Penn International Students and Scholar Services urged students located in countries affected by a United States travel ban to return to the country before June 9 in an announcement on Friday.
Beginning Monday, June 9, the United States will restrict entry for individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In a June 6 message to Penn’s international community, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel and Associate Vice Provost Amy Gadsden acknowledged the “deeply destabilizing” effect of the policy across the University, and recommended students to immediately book return flights.
“The critiques cast a pall over one of America’s traditional strengths — its openness to global talent — and are causing undeserved disruption for a community of students and scholars who contribute meaningfully to our campus and our country,” Emanuel and Gadsden wrote.
The message emphasized previous guidance from ISSS — issued on June 5 and reposted on Friday — that encouraged international students currently within the country to “remain in the United States to avoid any potential immigration challenges.”
The Thursday guidance also urged students to “monitor updates from the U.S. Department of State and your local U.S. embassy or consulate,” maintain communication with academic departments, and keep updated with developments from ISSS.
Emanuel and Gadsden referenced this guidance in their Friday message, writing that the ban could affect “nationals of twelve countries,” along with “travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.”
“Penn is not Penn without its international community,” Emanuel and Gadsden wrote. “You are essential to Penn’s mission.”
The message is the latest in a series of announcements from ISSS reaffirming Penn's commitment to international students. ISSS announced on May 28 that the University will work “flexibly” with international students experiencing “arrival delays.”
In an email sent on May 30, ISSS also advised students from China and Hong Kong to “reconsider non-essential international travel” after the Department of State announced its plan to conduct more rigorous reviews of Chinese students.
Penn also indicated its support for its international students and scholars after the federal government took steps to block Harvard University from enrolling international students.
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