White House Revokes Plan to Deport International Students Taking All Online Classes This Fall
The White House rescinded a directive mandating that international students leave the country or transfer schools if their colleges transitioned to completely online learning in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated policy, announced July 14, followed vocal backlash from colleges and students alike.
The original directive from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) on July 6 stipulated that “Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States. The US Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will US Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States.”
In response, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed lawsuits with 17 other states to block the visa plan.
The original policy required international students to take at least one in-person class at their college, or pack their bags. Students who returned to their home country when campuses closed this past March could not return to study in the U.S. if their college continued with a completely virtual format in the fall.
“As students, we will all need to do our part in slowing down the spread first because that is how we will protect each other and protect our international students.”
“My initial reaction was just confusion. There was a sense of relief because Marist will have classes in-person, but I couldn’t help but think what would happen if classes suddenly went online mid-semester this fall. I was thinking of all the international students at Marist who would have no choice but to go home,” Sabrina Adhikari ‘21 said, president of the Marist International Student Association.
“A lot of us left or were told to leave during the pandemic in mid-March. And because of the visa regulations, [international] students were originally scared about returning because flights are extremely expensive. If classes go online, we would have had to find a way home or be deported by ICE,” Adhikari said. She left campus during spring break after the pandemic exploded in the U.S. and has been in her home country of Nepal since.
“Right now, I’m watching the news and waiting for more instructions from the college, which is definitely essential,” Adhikari said.
The July 6 directive directly impacted tens of thousands of international students –– a devastating loss for colleges across the country. International students contribute greatly to higher education, bringing global perspectives –– and tuition money –– to colleges. During the 2018-2019 academic year, over one million students left their homes in foreign countries to attend college in the U.S. and contributed $45 billion to the U.S. economy. In the U.S., 5.5% of college students are from foreign countries, and Marist College’s student population represents over 60 countries.
“President Murray did reach out to us, letting us know of his support and the school’s support for us. It did give us a sense of comfort in knowing that the school is ready to act as a safety net for us,” Adhikari said. “President Murray also said that Marist would do everything they could to help us take classes in our home countries, but students don’t want to have to deal with challenges that come with remote learning and the time difference when they are paying the same tuition as their classmates. Additionally, for seniors, this would mean being restricted from applying to internships and jobs they could have otherwise applied to if they were in the U.S. It’s putting a lot of careers at risk.”
Student body president Roda Mohamed ‘21 said that SGA will “do everything to accommodate the needs of our international students.” As an international student from Somaliland, Somalia, Mohamed experienced SEVP concerns firsthand.
“The biggest uncertainty for the fall semester was not knowing if Marist would continue to be hybrid if a campus outbreak occurs. As students, we will all need to do our part in slowing down the spread first because that is how we will protect each other and protect our international students,” Mohamed said.
“Once we come back on campus, student leaders like me will be a role model and advocate for social distancing and wearing a mask. The way our school will operate will be different, but it will bring our community together.”
Source: Tara Guaimano