In the Name of God, the Indiscriminately Merciful, the Intimately Loving
The recent policy change by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) canceling the exemption for international students to stay in the U.S. if their campuses are fully virtual, is unjust and xenophobic. In the midst of a global pandemic and uncertain circumstances, this policy is forcing international students to relocate to a completely different environment, away from the country and community that they call home.
According to the announcement, this policy, for the most part, affects online-only campus models for this coming year. This pandemic has brought tremendous uncertainty for most students as campuses roll out Fall return plans and a significant amount of campuses have been planning for a majority-online Fall term. However, even if the campus is taking on a hybrid model the new rule indicates that international students must have in-person classes or a combination of online and in-person classes. This policy punishes students for their campus administration’s decisions and unrealistically suggests that if a campus goes fully online, then the student is responsible for finding and attending a campus that does offer on-campus courses. International students who are found violating this policy are subject to detention and removal (deportation). This, therefore, jeopardizes not only educational access for international students but also their entire educational experience in the U.S. and forces them to choose between their health or their education.
MSA West stands in solidarity with international students and condemns this cruel and senseless policy. We urge campus administrations to take action and protect their international students. There are more than one million international students who attend U.S. colleges and universities and this policy will put the majority of their educational careers at risk.
We want to assure our students and community that we are actively monitoring this situation as it develops. We will share updates and resources on our platforms, and work with our partner organizations to continuously provide legal and immigration support for impacted students, as well as advocate to reverse this policy and ensure our campuses are taking all possible steps to protect international students.
Initial Resources:
MSA West Action Alert: Urge Your Campus Administration to Take Action Against this Policy
CAIR-SFBA is offering legal consults for international students
Penn State International Students and Remote Learning in Fall 2020 FAQ
CAIR Action Alert: Urge Congress to Push for ICE to Grant Exemptions to Foreign Students
If you are an international student in need of support, please see the resources above but also feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] to let us know what you need.
In solidarity,
MSA West
