Since the second Trump administration began in January, the government has repeatedly and increasingly targeted immigrants in the United States. From crackdowns on undocumented immigrant populations to the revocation of over 1,800 student visas, President Donald Trump has taken significant actions that have altered decades of precedent around immigration law.
While the president promised many of these policies on the campaign trail, the Trump administration has engaged in an unexpectedly aggressive effort to revoke the rights of green card holders to reside in the United States.
On campus, green card holders have grown concerned about their status in the United States.
One such person is a University professor and former public opponent of the Trump administration who has been a green card holder for the past two and a half years. The professor signed a petition published in The Argus that criticized Trump’s immigration policy under his first administration, but recently requested that their name be removed due to increased scrutiny of green card holders. They agreed to speak with The Argus under the condition of anonymity.
“In 2016, I had no fear and I was vocal,” they told The Argus. “I don’t want to be vocal anymore.”
A green card, unlike a student or work visa, grants the recipient permanent residence within the United States. The criteria for the receipt of a green card is broad, but it is often given to applicants with family members who are already U.S. citizens. Additionally, unlike an F-1 student visa, which can be terminated at the discretion of the Secretary of State, the government must litigate its case in an immigration court to revoke a green card. Consequently, green cards have historically been seen as relatively protected, even in the face of strongly anti-immigrant governments such as Trump’s.
But the Trump administration has attempted to challenge these guardrails. Most famously, it attempted to revoke the green card of pro-Palestinian graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, holding him in a Louisiana detention facility for 104 days. While Khalil has challenged the administration’s actions and amassed some victories in court, his case has highlighted the potential fragility of green cards.
The Argus: Right now, how are you generally feeling about the immigration situation?
Professor: Right now, I feel fine because I’ve already traveled outside of the United States with my green card, and I have had no problem getting into the country. But when I heard the news about even green card holders getting [detained] at airport customs, I was so scared. When I got my green card, I thought, “Oh, now I’m safe,” but now I don’t think so; I don’t feel 100% safe anymore.
A: Are you going to change your activities on campus as a result of possible punishment?
P: I have been changing them, actually. I don’t want to be vocal anymore. In 2016, I had no fear, and I was vocal, and that’s why I signed the petition. But I don’t think I will do anything like that now, at least until this current administration ends.
I [also] try not to be in any pictures for The Argus or anything. That would concern me as well. Anything could happen. So, for example, if students are protesting about Palestine, and even if I don’t support their cause or I do support it, if I’m in the picture, the current government would see me as a protester. So at that kind of crazy level, I have to be careful right now.
A: Have you discussed immigration concerns with any of your students?
P: When I have my class, we talk about our daily life, and…international students tell me their concerns about student visas. But generally, I don’t really go into that, because it’s very sensitive.
Most of the international students are on the F-1 student visa. But I have one student who’s on a green card, and she came to my office. We talked about that because we have the same green card, and I remember we said, “We are not safe anymore.”
A: Have you talked with other faculty members about this issue?
P: I have a colleague who just naturalized, and he said he’s not worried. But I have another colleague on H1-B, and she was very worried. I think she just made it before the new law applied. I also have a friend who is on J-1 here, and she says she’s not going to renew her program because she doesn’t feel like being in this country anymore, and she doesn’t feel like she’s welcomed here because of this. So yeah, we talk about it. It’s a very hot topic right now.
A: Would you still travel outside the United States?
P: I still would, because I like to travel, and I have no criminal record. So I’m not that worried, but I heard that even people on green cards with traffic violations will be in trouble. I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but having heard the news or rumors, it makes me concerned. But I will still travel because I don’t even have traffic violations.
A: Have you been changing your internet presence?
P: I don’t post anything, but I heard at the airport when we entered the U.S. that sometimes they check our phones, so I was kind of careful about even the messages that I sent to my friends. I have never been inspected, but I don’t know what would happen if they saw something. I don’t know what is considered bad by them. Even if I have, like, a meme making fun of the President or something, am I going to be in trouble? I don’t know.
A: Is there anything else you would like to say?
P: I learned that anything could happen. I will do whatever I can to be safe and to protect myself. I’ll just wait it out, but who knows what the next administration will be in three years? For now, I think I’m in a much better situation than visa holders, because I have a green card. A green card is supposed to be a very safe option, so I don’t have many concerns as of now, but compared to the past, I’m extra careful about what I do or what I say in public.
Applying for a visa and living in this country as a foreigner is such a stressful thing, but I have my life here already. I have a job, I have friends, so I don’t think I will move back to my home country because of this. But it’s definitely a stressful time for non-Americans.
Spencer Landers can be reached at sklanders@wesleyan.edu.
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