On Monday, July 6, 2020, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that International Students in the United States whose schools have ruled for online-only classes in the Fall 2020 semester must leave the United States, or may face immigration consequences.
This is counterproductive for the following reasons:
- International students contribute ~$41 billion dollars to the US economy every year
- US universities and research programs depend on revenue from international students to survive
- US universities may be compelled to prematurely open in-person instruction and risk virus transmission
- STEM companies thrive and depend on global talent
We request that ICE rescind their decision to force international students back to their home countries in the midst of a pandemic.