As a global learning community, Middlebury College brings together international students, staff and faculty from over 50 countries each year. Fourteen percent of the student body are international students, and although many of them cannot cast votes on Nov. 5, they are closely following the election, aware of its potential impact on their experience at Middlebury and on U.S. relations with their home countries.
Celina Xu ’28 is a Chinese citizen who has been studying in the U.S. for over five years without permanent residency. She spoke about many changes in foreign policies in relation to China during Trump’s administration that affected the career trajectories of students currently or planning to study abroad in the U.S.
“I’m worrying immigration laws will become much stricter overnight if Trump returns to the White House,” she said. “Trump often attempted to limit legal immigrants, OPT and H1-B visas.”
OPT, meaning Optional Practical Training, is a benefit that comes with a foreign student’s F-1 visa that allows international students to work in the U.S. for one to three years after graduation while they pursue an H-1B visa, a work visa with a maximum duration of six years.
Former President Trump also signed Proclamation 10043, which restricts students from certain Chinese universities and STEM fields from obtaining a student visa. Although the proclamation has not yet prevented Chinese undergraduate students from studying in the U.S., the worsening U.S.-China relations continue to prompt questions about the future of international students in the U.S.
Xu expressed concern about her plans to study abroad: She is studying French at Middlebury and hopes to spend a year abroad at the college’s schools in Paris and Yaoundé, Cameroon for unique cultural immersion experiences. However, recent changes by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) limit international students to study abroad for no more than five months. According to the USCIS website, staying overseas for longer requires students to apply for a new Form I-20, the discontinuation of which could affect their standing in applying to remain in the U.S. Because of this, Xu said she might need to rethink her plans if the new government maintains this policy.
“I’m also concerned that my study abroad plan will have to be changed due to the recent policy adjustment by USCIS,” Xu told The Campus. “Those study abroad programs were one of the main reasons why I chose Midd as my ED1 choice.”
The U.S. election is also under the international spotlight this year due to its significant impact on global politics.
Anastasiia Demchenko ’28, a Ukrainian citizen, believes the U.S. election outcome will be crucial in shaping the course of events in Ukraine, as the country remains heavily dependent on aid from the U.S. and Europe to stay afloat in the ongoing war.
“We weren’t entirely satisfied with Biden’s policies on the war, as we’re still not allowed to strike back on Russian territory, and the quantity of military aid and the time it took to deliver it to Ukraine were questionable,” Demchenko wrote in an email to The Campus, adding that targeting Russian military bases is essential for Ukraine’s defense. “Still, Democrats (both under Biden and Harris) are fairly predictable in their generally pro-Ukrainian stance.”
Demchenko feels that if Trump were to return to the White House, the situation in Ukraine would be far more unpredictable, given his lack of a clear pro-Ukrainian position.
“[Trump’s] statements like ‘I will end the war in Ukraine in one day’ sound to me like, ‘I’m going to give Ukrainian territories to Russia,’” Demchenko wrote, questioning Trump’s stance on NATO and European security. “[Trump said] ‘The U.S. won’t protect countries that don’t contribute enough to NATO’s budget,’ which undermines European security overall and grants Russia a lot of unchecked power.”
While Demchenko doesn’t expect a change in the administration to improve the situation in Ukraine immediately, she feels that with a Democratic administration in control things will likely be more stable.
Given the ongoing war in Gaza and severe situations in the Middle East, Yahya Rahhawi ’26 from Iraq believes that the election outcome will determine the U.S.’s further presence in these conflicts.
“As someone who has experienced the impact of Donald Trump's foreign policies in the Middle East, I believe that if he wins a second term, he may indeed push for a ceasefire, though likely as a short-term measure,” Rahhawi wrote to The Campus. “It’s likely he would expedite an end to U.S. involvement.”
However, Rahhawi also mentioned that Trump may not be able to achieve genuine justice or address the longstanding oppression faced by Palestinians.
“However, considering Trump’s alignment with Israel, he might also assist them in achieving their immediate goals,” he pointed out. “His support for Israel’s far-right government could enable further settlements, not only in the West Bank but potentially in Gaza and even southern Lebanon.”
Rahhawi rejected the idea posed by some news analysis that Harris has shown more solidarity with Palestinians.
“I don’t believe Harris has shown genuine empathy; at most, it seems like pity,” he wrote.
“True empathy involves action, and so far, we’ve seen little from the Biden administration to alleviate the suffering and destruction endured by civilians in Gaza,” he emphasized. “As president, she might temporarily slow weapons sales to Israel, but it’s unlikely she would make any substantial efforts toward justice or accountability for actions taken by the Israeli government.”
Rach Peck ’25 belongs to a subgroup of international students: She holds dual U.K.-US citizenship, which enables her to cast a ballot on Nov. 5. However, the election anxiety has extended to another facet of Peck’s life — whether or not to stay in the U.S. after graduation.
“You get asked all the time what you want to do after college,” Peck explained, “and one thing that I've been saying is that I'm waiting until November to see.”
She added that the climate in the U.K. has shifted recently following the end of 14 years of Tory control over the summer by the Labour Party’s victory, which has also influenced her decision. Still, Peck expressed uncertainty about what to do even in the event of a Trump victory.
“I have some sense that if Trump wins, it’s not forever,” Peck said. “It gives me a perspective to not feel like everything will be terrible if Trump wins, because hopefully it’s just four years.”
Rachel Lafferty ’25 is an Irish citizen, but since she has spent most of her life in the U.S., she has never been able to vote in either country, despite having no shortage of political opinions.
“It’s sort of a weird no-man’s land,” Lafferty said. “I think it makes it harder to connect with people as well — there’s definitely a social component to it.”
Lafferty said she feels lucky to have spent her time in the U.S. in states that tend to vote blue, which match her political views.
“I’m lucky to be living in two blue states — I don’t have to be worrying about reproductive rights, whereas if I was living in Texas and not able to vote, that would be incredibly difficult. I feel pretty privileged in that way,” she said.
She wants to encourage people who can vote to do so, adding that U.S. citizens should remember that there are many people who wish they could.
“We’re still directly affected by these things and don’t have a say in it,” she said.
Editor’s Note: Editor in Chief Ryan McElroy ’25, News Editor Evan Weiss ’25 and Managing Editor Madeleine Kaptein ’25.5 contributed reporting to this article.
Celina Xu ’28 is an Online Editor for The Campus.
