July 10, 2020
On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division issued a directive that prohibits international students from remaining in the country if their colleges hold online-only courses in the fall, among other things.
To address the troubling uncertainty created by the July 6th directive, and to express its deep-felt opposition to the guidance, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges signed on to a letter written by the American Council on Education advocating for new guidance and flexibility for our international students and institutions.
In the letter, supporters wrote:
“We urge the administration to rethink its position and offer international students and institutions the flexibility necessary to safely navigate resuming their educational activities in the midst of this crisis in ways that take into account the health and safety of our students and staff in the upcoming academic year. We ask that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) withdraw this guidance. DHS should, instead, grant a one-year waiver for international students who have a valid F-1 or M-1 visa and are enrolled or entering the U.S. to begin a course of study on a full-time basis at an institution of higher education in an academic program that is conducted online or may shift to remote instruction during the semester due to the pandemic.”
