Dilemma about grad school at this point of time

Hey folks,

If I'm posting on the wrong channel do let me know.

I've been working in the ML space for many years [>5] and I wanted to have access to a good brand name on my resume and pivot to an Eng Manager or adjacent role while getting some exposure to the US job market.

I was pretty elated when I got admitted to Northwestern where I could take classes from both McCormick and Kellogg and network with the professors and students/alumni there while being close to Chicago.

However what's giving me a bit of cold feet is the news lately around people being told to self deport for a wide multitude of reasons at these universities. And since the university got a budget cut of $760 million, nobody in my program got any scholarship, unlike prior years so I'd be taking in $100k in loans at the least to do my program and add the opportunity cost of not being employed full time for over a year.

The university does allow deferral for upto 1 year so I'm just weighing in my options. [Other admits from NYU, Northeastern, WashU]

tldr; Concerned about all the news about f1 visa holders being asked to self deport, going to grad school with $100k+ private loans and wondering if I'm making the right choice

Current TC: 28L cash with great WLB and team culture at a prod MNC