Foreign student guideline ‘cruel’

Washington, July 7: Prominent American academicians and lawmakers have reacted sharply to the new US guideline to kick out foreign students pursuing degrees in the country if their universities switch to online-only classes, calling it as “horrifying” and “cruel”.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday announced that foreign students pursuing degrees in America will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to onlineonly classes in this fall referring to the September to December semester.

The decision will adversely impact hundreds of thousands of Indian students in the US.

It said that for the fall 2020 semester students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the US. The new regulation drew widespread backlash with many taking to social media to vent their anger.

The American Council on Education (ACE), which represents university presidents, said the guidelines are “horrifying” and will result in confusion as schools look for ways to reopen safely.

“On its face, the guidance released by the ICE is horrifying. While we would welcome more clarity about international students studying in the United States, this guidance raises more questions than it answers and unfortunately does more harm than good,” ACE President Ted Mitchell said in a statement.

“Regrettably, this guidance provides confusion and complexity rather than certainty and clarity” Mitchell said. Of particular concern is a stipulation saying students won’t be exempt from the rules even if an outbreak forces their schools online during the fall term.

It’s unclear what would happen if a student ended up in that scenario but faced travel restrictions from their home country, said Terry Hartle, the council’s senior vice president. — PTI