Immigration and DACA: Immigration Concerns

Check this OISS page to see President Leebron's message to the Rice community and for crucial immigration information and links.

Version issued Jan. 10, 2017. Before making crucial decisions, check University Policies to make sure you have the latest version

Feb. 22, 2017 travel advisory from NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Keep checking this page for updates. One needs to create an account in order to log in to see the information.

Link provided for the Rice community by Rice's OISS and updated by the immigration law firm Foster.

Student-driven organization that matches law school students with pro bono (free) supervising attorneys to help refugee applicants successfully navigate the rules and processes for resettlement in a safe third country. See the list of U.S. participating law schools. The organization also participated in providing legal counsel to those stranded at U.S. airports due to the travel ban.

April 16, 2014 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report explaining how Presidential executive orders work and how Congress and the judicial branch respond to them.

Feb. 21, 2017 Fact Sheet from Homeland Security about President Trump's initial Executive Order. This order does not mention DACA. See the full text below of President Trump's March 6 new order since this one was blocked by the courts.

President Trump's March 6, 2017 executive order takes effect on March 16 and imposes a 90-day ban on issuance of new visas to citizens from six Muslim-majority countries. Iraq is now removed from the original group of seven (Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and Iran). It also suspends the refugee program for 120 days and decreases the number of refugees the United States will accept per year to 50,000 down from 110,000 under the Obama administration. It exempts permanent residents and current visa holders and places a 120-day freeze on refugees from Syria rather than an indefinite ban.

For a quick overview see a March 6, 2017 New York Times' article about who is barred and who is not.

A federal judge in Hawaii has now blocked this order.

PBS short videos available to watch free online. Note especially the Separation of Powers segment discussing how the three branches of government check and balance each other. Explore all the headings for a rich variety of resources to understand the American system of government.

Explains how the three branches of government work together. Although this is written so students can understand, it's a great resource for adults to gain a quick grasp of the concepts.

June 26, 2017 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education discussing possible effects on foreign students regarding the Supreme Court allowing a limited version of President Trump's travel ban to take effect.