Stanford Prof Reflects on Economic Consequences of Refugee and Immigrant Bans
The Stanford Graduate School of Business recently highlighted political economy professor and Stanford Immigration Policy Lab co-director Jens Hainmueller discussed potential economic, political and moral consequences of the Trump administration’s recent executive orders against refugees from Muslim countries and unauthorized Mexican immigrants.
Trump Immigration Ban Stranding Business Students, Employees
On Friday, January 27, U.S. President Donald Trump signed his most prominent executive order of his early term; an effective Middle East immigration ban for at least 90 days.
The public outcry was defiantly swift and disruptive, with mass protests breaking out in airports across the country. In New York City, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance suspended all travel to JFK International Airport during the height of the protests, in which the United States effectively began turning away immigrants from Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iran and Iraq.
The implications are immeasurably vast. Prominent companies like Deloitte, McKinsey & Co. and Google—all of which hire many MBA graduates—have informed employees subjected to the terms of the ban, which also includes dual-citizens of the seven aforementioned countries, to cancel international travel plans for the time being.
Omid Scheybani, an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), spoke with Bloomberg after it became apparent he wouldn’t be leaving the country any time soon either. Scheybani, a dual-citizen of Germany and Iran, is stuck in California for now.
“I was invited to a wedding in Colombia, plans that I will probably cancel over the next few days,” he said in the interview. In March he was also planning a trip to Italy for first-year students. “It’s uncertain whether I will be able to attend, to lead this trip as well.”
Iran-born Khash Sajadi, also highlighted in the Bloomberg story, is the CEO of internet startup company Cloud 66. The 41-year-old works between London and San Francisco, but the ban has already warped plans to meet with clients stateside.
“That’s the problem we have now, we don’t know what to plan against,” he said. Sajadi hasn’t been to Iran in 11 years. His father, who lives in Iran, canceled a vacation to visit him and his two sisters, who also live in the U.S.
The Washington Post reports that around 90,000 people were directly affected from the immigration ban just between Friday and Sunday, January 29. This is in direct contrast from the White House, which claimed that 109 were affected. The 90,000 people, per the chart below, earned non-immigrant or immigrant visas according to the State Department in 2015. Visas, such as those for student, business and tourism purposes, only last for a finite period of time.
The chart above does include those who have dual-citizenship with any of the seven countries, which also numbers in the tens of thousands according to the State Department.
Of course, business students and employees aren’t the only ones included in those stark numbers. Students by-and-large are stranded across the country because of the immigration ban. And the implications of what is yet to come continues to flare the situation.
“If this could happen now—what does this mean if I were to be traveling for research or study abroad?” said Nate Mouttet, Seattle Pacific University Vice President For Enrollment Management. “Or if I am trying to come back into the country as someone who had a clear visa—will I be detained and not allowed back in?”
Stay tuned for more details as the situation continues to unfold.
San Diego And The Undocumented Worker Problem
If there were one city in the U.S. with the closest ties to Mexico, it would likely be San Diego. Not only is the city home to gorgeous beaches and towering palm trees, its southern edge sits on the American-Mexican border, specifically bordering Tijuana. Unfortunately, that could be a problem if President Trump decides to enact his pledge to deport America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants. Continue reading…
Seattle University Supports Undocumented Students
In response to recent concerns based on the results of the November election, Catholic institutions of higher education from across the country banded together to release a statement regarding undocumented students. According to the declaration, which was signed by dozens of school presidents including Stephen V. Sundborg the President of Seattle University, Catholic colleges and universities will continue to welcome undocumented students. Continue reading…
International Students Wary Of Potential Immigration Changes
As the wake of the recent presidential election begins to settle, among the first effects has been a possible trajectory change where international students pursue an MBA.
The Financial Times recently followed the story of Amrita Dwivedi, a marketing executive from New Delhi who has worked with Google and Deloitte. Prior to last Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, Dwivedi was considered several standout U.S. business schools. After the results, however, they’re rescinding those suggestions, instead opting to focus on the London Business School and Insead to pursue their MBA.
“I want to be able to work in the country where I study after graduation,” they said in an interview with FT reporter Jonathan Moules. “So it is important to be in a place that is immigrant-friendly.”
Even in Europe, however, those options may also soon become limited. Just months after Great Britain opted to leave the European Union, new Prime Minister Theresa May has already gone on record saying that the number of student immigrant visas will likely be reduced. This could also potentially impact Dwivedi’s final decision.
The potential changes come after a wave of international students joined U.S. business schools with a record number of applications at many institutions, including at Michigan Ross.
Ross’ recently hired dean Scott DeRue shared some similar concerns over what could come during a Donald Trump presidency, as the new president-elect has gone on record multiple times against many immigration policies.
“I understand and empathise with those concerns but let’s remember that most presidents campaign in poetry and govern in prose,” DeRue says.
“If there was a restriction on visas to students that would clearly be somewhat harmful to us,” adds Chicago Booth School of Business dean Douglas Skinner. Booth has seen a precipitous rise in applicants in recent years, including a double-digit percentage increase in 2016. However, Skinner notes that nearly a third of students at Booth are from overseas—a figure that’s actually lower than many other business schools across the U.S.
Shading optimism, Skinner also notes that there’s a significant chance that domestic applicants may rise in the wake of policy changes. That, and the fact that Booth has been through some tough times before.
“We have been around since 1898, and the school has survived lots of ups and downs in the economy during that time,” he says.
