Welcome, Not Welcome? A Critical Discourse Analysis of Public Institution's Responses to Governmental Anti-Immigration Policies

Abstract

This paper offers an analysis of statements presented by five public, flagship stateuniversities in response to recent U.S. Presidential anti-immigration policy. Using critical discourse analysis as both framework and method, I explored the statements presented by these institutions in response to the 2017 travel ban blocking entry to the United States for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. In addition, I analyzed responses to the 2018 decision to rescind the federal program that offered legal protections to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children known as DACA. By analyzing these statements, this study delves into the institutional discourses reproduced by universities in response to the anti-immigration policies of the current administration. (Word Count: 112) Objectives or purposes Reports released by the Institute of International Education and the United States Department of State illustrate that the number of new international students enrolled in institutions of higher education has declined since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016. Between Fall of 2016 and 2017, the number of international students applying to graduate school in the United States has declined 3 percent according to the Council of Graduate Schools (Okahana, H., & Zhou, 2017). Meanwhile, the status of DACA recipient students remains unclear. The Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration estimated that after March of 2018, a large number of DACA recipients, whose status expired, would no longer have protections against deportation, becoming vulnerable to lose their work authorizations unless or until their renewals are approved.The ebb in the enrollment of international students is partly due to the increasingly favorable conditions provided by higher education institutions in Canada, Australia, and other English-speaking countries (Arbeit, 2017, p.23). It also appears to be a consequence of the current administration's anti-immigration rhetoric. Although the rationale behind the decline is complex and may relate in part to issues in the students' home countries, it is plausible that President Donald Trump's rhetoric and his stance on immigration have encouraged international students to pursue alternative venues for their education (Justice & Stanley, 2016). Although the decline in international student enrollment cannot be directly linked to the government's rhetoric, the continuous removal of rights from DACA recipients is certainly sanctioned by the government and a direct result of President Donald Trump anti-immigration stance.This research addresses the limitations of current literature by providing a multi-layered analysis that incorporates, at a macro level, the implications of the current political context and, at a micro level, the role institutions of higher education play in assimilating and reproducing anti-immigration discourses. Although the Trump administration's stance on immigration has undoubtedly promoted an increasing sentiment of insecurity and anxiety wi...