⏩ Yale University, others weigh their options against ICE directive.

Yale University says it will do it all it can to make sure its large international student population can continue their education at the Ivy League school uninterrupted despite a new federal edict that requires them to attend inperson instruction this fall irregardless of the COVID-19 pandemic or lose their student visas.

In a message sent out late Tuesday to the Yale community, President Peter Salovey said he is working with experts and colleagues to fully understand the implications of new guidelines issued by federal immigration authorities.

The guidelines, issued this week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, say international students must take at least some of their classes in person to stay in the country. The directive said new visas will not be issued to students at schools or programs that are entirely online. International students can obtain visas for hybrid programs that combine in-person and online instruction.

The motion claims ICE’s action leaves hundreds of thousands of international students with no educational options within the United States.

It is not yet clear if Yale intends to join Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which on Wednesday filed a motion to stop the action.

“By all appearances, ICE’s decision reflects an effort by the federal government to force universities to reopen in-person classes, which would require housing students in densely packed residential halls, notwithstanding the universities’ judgment that it is neither safe nor educationally advisable to do so,” according to the legal challenge filed Wednesday. The 24-page brief says colleges will be compelled to reopen when neither the students nor the universities have sufficient time to react.

Yale announced last week plans to welcome most students back to campus but to hold most, but not all, courses online in the fall.

“I am working with Yale experts and colleagues at peer institutions to understand the full implications of DHS’s guidance,” Salovey said. “In the meantime, Yale is committed to supporting students affected by this policy.”

Yale, as of 2019, had more than 2,800 students from outside the United States, and nearly 2,700 international scholars who conduct research and teach.

Many see the directive as a Trump administration attempt to force colleges and universities to return fully to in-person learning in the fall. Many Connecticut higher education institutions with international student populations say they intend to hold an inperson fall semester.

At the University of Bridgeport, which has historically had a large international population, Interim Provost Manyul Im said the university’s academic division is working with its International Center for Students and Scholars to adjust course delivery policies, especially during the end of the semester after Thanksgiving, so their international students and UB remain in compliance with student visa requirements.

It is unclear how many international students are still at UB, which last week announced it was working to consolidate with three other higher education institutions.

With banks and embassies closed in some places, Im said it is difficult to provide necessary financial documentation and to obtain visas for some students.

“We are hoping for the best,” Im said.

At the University of Connecticut, where there are more than 3,500 international students, Provost Carl Lejuez, on Wednesday, sent out a message to faculty and graduate students, calling the ICE directive a serious challenge to UConn’s core values as a comprehensive and multicultural global research institution.

The majority of UConn’s 1,600 international graduate students serve as teaching and research assistants.

“Without them, University teaching and research capacity will be restricted,” Lejuez said.

Although UConn is planning for a fall that includes a range of course modalities with some completely online, some in a face-toface environment, and others being a blend of the two, the ICE restrictions are being studied.

“We are working closely with the Attorney General’s Office, which is aggressively exploring every option to protect the interest of Connecticut’s students and schools,” said Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokeswoman.

On Wednesday, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong’s office said they intend to join with other state attorneys general to mount a legal challenge of the the Trump administration’s decision.

At Yale, Salovey said he is deeply disappointed and troubled that the federal government has declined to extend to the coming fall semester the exceptions it provided for this spring and summer, that allowed for online learning.

“Especially when we are in the middle of a public health crisis,” Savoy said. “The potential disruption in the education of our international students will undercut the strength of American higher education, which draws brilliant individuals from around the world to our country. Our nation’s history of openness has long been essential to U.S. leadership and a thriving economy.”