Tamil Nadu CM Stalin reaches out to migrant workers
Tirunelveli (TN) (PTI): Reaching out to the migrant workers community in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday interacted with a group of labourers at a latex unit here.
The Chief Minister's move comes in the wake of apprehensions among the migrant workforce over alleged fake videos of attacks on some of them in the state, which had even prompted the Bihar government to depute an official delegation to take stock of the situation.
Stalin visited Kanam Latex, involved in making hand gloves, in the district and interacted with the migrant workers, enquiring about their well-being, an official release said.
He discussed with them matters like how long they were staying in Tamil Nadu, if the local people treated them well and whether they had to face any issues.
The workers told him they had a good work atmosphere, some were staying for more than five years in TN, many with their families and that the local people were treating them with brotherhood, the release added.
The workers told him they did not have any fears and that they felt safe like staying in their native places, while acknowledging the help extended by the state government, it said.
"The CM asked them not to fall for rumours and that the state government was providing workers from all states a safe work environment," the release said.
Tamil Nadu has a sizeable number of migrant worker population, with many from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal among others being employed in various sectors including construction.
Meanwhile, the four-member Bihar government delegation met officials and workers in Chennai and expressed satisfaction over the state government's actions after the alleged fake videos emerged. It had earlier travelled to Tirupur and Coimbatore, both of which employ a large number of migrant labourers.
D Balamurugan, Bihar Rural Development Secretary, told reporters here the TN government acted after the videos started circulating.
"There were some apprehensions after the videos emerged but now things have been clarified," he added.
In Patna, senior DMK leader and MP T R Baalu called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and handed over a report sent by Stalin on the steps taken by the government to protect migrant workers from States including Bihar.
DMK's Deputy General Secretary A Raja hit out at Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan and said that the LJP leader may do his politics of being "BJP's B-Team", in Bihar and not in Tamil Nadu.
DMK chief Stalin's Dravidian model of social justice-led inclusive growth would help set up a regime of secular and progressive forces at the Centre following Lok Sabha polls next year, Raja said in a statement.
Paswan was in Chennai on March 6 and he had called on Governor R N Ravi and submitted a memorandum on the issue while demanding a thorough probe on allegations of attack on Bihar workers.
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US universities urge foreign students to return to campus ahead of Trump's swearing-in
New York (PTI): Several American universities have issued travel advisories for their international students as well as staff and urged them to return to the US before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January next year amid concerns over travel bans that may be enacted by his administration.
Trump will take the oath of office on January 20 and has announced that he will sign several executive orders on issues of economy and immigration on his first day as the 47th President of the United States.
Amid concerns over the disruptions caused by travel bans during his first term as president, several top US universities are issuing travel advisories for their international students and faculty who may be travelling outside the country around Trump’s inauguration.
According to data from the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education, India and China made up over half (54 per cent) of all international students in the United States.
But for the first time since 2009, India became the leading place of origin with 331,602 international students in the United States in 2023/2024, reflecting a 23 per cent increase from the prior year, surpassing China, according to data from the ‘Open Doors 2024 Report on International Educational Exchange’.
China was the second leading place of origin, despite a 4 per cent decline to 277,398 students. It remained the top-sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students, sending 87,551 and 5,517, respectively.
Associate Dean and Director at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Students Office David Elwell in a post following the presidential elections said that with every election, “when there is a change in administration on the federal level there can be changes in policies, regulations, and legislation that impacts higher education as well as immigration and visa status matters".
Elwell urged students to assess their travel plans over the upcoming winter break, noting that new executive orders under Trump may impact travel and visa processing.
In addition, election transitions also impact staffing levels at US Embassies/Consulates abroad, which could impact entry visa processing times.
“Students who would need to apply for a new entry visa at the US Embassy/Consulate abroad to return to the US in their student status should assess the possibility of facing any extensive processing times and have a backup plan if they must travel abroad and wait for a new entry visa to be issued. Any processing delays could impact students’ ability to return to the US as planned,” Elwell said.
The Office of Global Affairs at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in an advisory recommended that its “international community-- including all international students, scholars, faculty and staff under UMass immigration sponsorship" strongly consider returning to the US before the presidential inauguration if they are planning on travelling internationally during the winter holiday break.
While noting that this was not a requirement or mandate from UMass, nor was it based on any current US government policy or recommendation, the university added that “given that a new presidential administration can enact new policies on their first day in office (January 20) and based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump administration in 2017", the Office of Global Affairs is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution to hopefully prevent any possible travel disruption to members of our international community.
"We are not able to speculate on what a travel ban will look like if enacted, nor can we speculate on what particular countries or regions of the world may or may not be affected.”
The Wesleyan Argus, the college newspaper of Wesleyan University, said in a report that the university has been “evaluating the potential future impacts" of the Trump administration on international and undocumented students.
“Much uncertainty surrounds the possible changes to American immigration policy that could be enacted by the Trump administration beginning January 20, 2025.”
The report added that Wesleyan’s Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) has been “concerned about sweeping policy changes” that could be implemented soon after Trump’s inauguration.
“With the presidential inauguration happening on Monday, January 20, 2025, and uncertainties around President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for immigration-related policy, the safest way to avoid difficulty re-entering the country is to be physically present in the US on January 19 and the days thereafter of the spring semester,” an email sent on November 18 to international students studying under the F-1 visa read, according to the Wesleyan Argus report.
Within a week of his first term as president, Trump had in January 2017 signed an executive order banning nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - from entering the US for 90 days, causing massive disruptions among communities and outrage and concerns by civil rights organisations.
