The ban of individuals from a number of largely Muslim countries has many struggling to grapple with the ban’s consequences and ramifications. The ban is of particular concern to the scientific community, as the ban “could hinder research, affect recruitment of top scientists and dampen the free exchange of scientific ideas.” The president of the Association of American Universities, Mary Sue Coleman, estimated that “there were about 17,000 students from the seven countries at American universities.” The ban has led some universities with students and faculty members from the seven named countries to advise against travel outside of the United States for an indefinite period. Conferences and scientific meetings within the United States, as well as abroad, stand to be affected. There is now the possibility that those important to the scientific community may not be able to return. Also affected by the Executive Order are eleven patients from the seven named countries in need of medical treatment. Some patients who travel from the Middle East to the United States need the treatment available in the United States because of an inability to access such treatment in their home countries, and due to these medical reasons, may not be able to wait.
Henry Fountain, Science Will Suffer Under Trump’s Travel Ban, Researchers Say, N.Y. Times, (Jan. 30, 2017), https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/science/scientists-donald-trump-travel-ban.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront.