COMMENT TO GABE AND KATIE BC BLOGGER IS ANNOYING

 OK pretend this is in the sequence of Katie's posts + the replies. Blogger is being annoying and won't let me post. 

Ok really cool stuff going on in this sequence of posts. I want to add some thoughts as an international student myself!

First, I want to build on Gabe’s point about the high exit costs of deportation. He hits a lot of the main points but I want to add that the assumption that one can build a new life relatively easily also doesn’t consider the long-term reputational and bureaucratic consequences that follow a deportation. Once a student is deported, they often face serious difficulties re-entering the U.S. or even applying for visas elsewhere, as deportation can mark their immigration record with a form of institutional stigma. This undermines not only their educational trajectory but also their global mobility and professional aspirations. 

Furthermore, the assumption that deported students can “pivot and get an education somewhere else” relies on a deeply classed assumption about who these students are and what resources they can access. It often reflects the experiences of students who come from wealthier families, those with financial cushions, global networks, and the ability to absorb unexpected disruptions. These students may have parents who can afford another round of tuition, application fees, relocation costs, and legal services, or who have the social capital to quickly navigate alternative systems abroad. They may also have the emotional support and mental bandwidth that comes from having a secure safety net. But many international students do not fit this mold. A significant number come from working- or middle-class families who stretch their financial limits to send one child abroad, viewing the opportunity as a once-in-a-lifetime investment. For these students, deportation is not just a setback; it can be a total loss of the family's long-term aspirations and savings. Additionally, many of the international students who do not come from wealthy families and are often on scholarship are not simply attending college in the US solely for their own development, but to create opportunities for their families and generations to come. In this sense, entire generational development can be entirely cut off. 

I also wanted to add a note about the interplay between the three types of freedoms specifically in the context of what we’re talking about here. I think one thing that me as well as other non-US citizens both at the 5Cs and other American institutions have felt is fear due to potentially being subject to the arbitrary will of the federal government (a lack of republican freedoms). However, the impact of this fear due to a lack of republican freedoms is not isolated, it undermines the ability to harness positive and negative freedoms and thus has a ripple effect. For example, international students technically can attend protests, voice dissent, or criticize institutions, but doing so feels incredibly risky when legal status can be jeopardized by even minor infractions or by simply being perceived as a “problem.” Many avoid political engagement not because they don’t care, but because the personal costs feel disproportionately high. Even writing on this blog is making my heart beat a little faster given the stories of immigration officers at the borders searching people’s phones for messages or social media posts that display any anti-Trump rhetoric. Not so fun fact, my neighbor encountered this experience just last week.  

It’s interesting how Gabe brings up his hypothesis that “fewer international students will choose U.S. universities because the value of republican freedom, undervalued without infringement, becomes clearest in times of crisis” because I agree. In fact, I had a call with a former teacher earlier this week who asked about my experience in the US considering the political climate. During the conversation, he actually noted that our university counselors are advising non-US citizens from not only considering their American university options (for those that have been accepted this cycle), but are also discouraging current Grade 11 students from applying to the US next year due to the risks. It will be interesting to see not just how students at my school, but other international students respond in the coming years. Interestingly, the question might not be isolated to wether international students will want to attend college in the US given the risks, but wether they will have the ability to. Just this morning I read an article regarding Harvard’s response to the federal demands that’s about how the Trump Administration says Harvard may lose its ability to enroll international students. Here’s the link: https://apple.news/ALmjsPc3uR66gvOxTakRqVg