At an information session with more than 500 attendees, Harvard staff told international students to expect tight screening at Boston Logan International Airport and keep a careful handle on their internet presence, which could be vetted for pro-Palestine posts.

They told students they did not know whether it was best to come to the U.S. as soon as possible ? but that students seeking visa appointments should book any that are available.

The hour-long Zoom webinar was led by Harvard International Office immigration services director Maureen Martin and by Jason Corral, a staff attorney at the Harvard Representation Initiative, a Harvard Law School clinic that provides free immigration consultation to Harvard affiliates.

Martin and Corral fielded pre-submitted questions and briefed attendees on the status of Harvard?s fight with the Trump administration over the standing of its international students. The meeting drew such high interest that it hit Zoom?s capacity and many students were initially unable to listen.

This description of the meeting is based on conversations with attendees, two sets of meeting notes, and a partial transcript.

In early June, some international students and researchers were detained at Boston Logan or returned to their home countries, even though a judge had imposed temporary restraining orders to prevent the Trump administration?s orders from taking effect.

But after the judge issued preliminary injunctions against the orders last week, Martin and Corral said, students who were blocked at the border have entered or are on track to enter the U.S.

Some students said Corral implied that the customs process at Logan may be stricter than other entrance points ? including New York?s John F. Kennedy International Airport, O?Hare International Airport in Chicago, and the Los Angeles International Airport. And the HRI has been instructing Iranians to avoid Logan altogether, Corral said during the meeting. (The Harvard Crimson)

?PHOTO: Staff from the Harvard International Office and the Harvard Representation Initiative, a pro bono clinic at Harvard Law School, updated international students on Harvard's fight with the Trump administration and told them to be prepared for screening of their social media profiles.

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