By Julia Terbeche and Madalyn Amato
Updated on July 17, 1:56 p.m.
The Trump administration revoked its regulation Tuesday that would have required international students to leave or barred them entry to the country if attending universities conducting online instruction.
Great news for international students and our campus: The administration is backing off the ICE order requiring international students to take in-person classes during the current pandemic. We continue to stand with all our students. We are #OneBeach!
— Jane Close Conoley (@PresConoley) July 14, 2020
President Jane Close Conoley said she was pleased with the decision.
“I am delighted with the revocation,” Conoley said. “It was such a stress on our international students.”
Some students may still end up taking classes on campus per their major, Conoley said, but most of the student body will be learning remotely come fall 2020.
“I think our international students will be safer and more at ease,” Conoley said. “It’s also better to have international students in classes with native students [so that] enriching conversations can take place.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities agreed to “return to the status quo,” according to the Associated Press, after facing eight lawsuits and resistance from hundreds of universities across the country.
For Conoley, the fight is far from over.
“We will stay vigilant, however, because it’s clear to me there is a political agenda at work,” Conoley said.
Original story posted on July 6, 2:56 p.m.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday that international students will be at risk of deportation if studying at universities conducting online instruction in the United States.
This decision will directly impact the more than 3,000 students that come to Long Beach State every year from other countries.
According to ICE’s official statement, the U.S. Department of State, along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will no longer permit students enrolled in schools or programs that are fully online for the fall 2020 semester to enter the United States.
“Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status,” ICE said in a statement. “If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
Students attending schools that are offering hybrid courses may take several courses online, according to the release. However, unit requirements still remain for in-person campuses.
According to President Jane Close Conoley, the CSULB administration is working with the chancellor’s office on a strategy to prioritize international students and will have a plan in a few days.
“We are still processing this new information from ICE,” Conoley said in an email. “We will do our best to protect our international students. The new regulations are cruel because they fail to take into account the pandemic.”
The California State University Chancellor’s Office is currently reviewing the new federal policy, according to Gregory Woods, director of news media services.
“We are potentially offering about 320 course sections with hybrid/in-person learning modalities mainly with courses that have labs and clinical requirements,” Woods said in an email.
ICE’s new regulation permits international students to attend universities adopting a hybrid model, as long as they certify that their program is not fully online.
International students have been caught in a whirlwind due to the coronavirus pandemic since March.
On March 14, CSULB officials sent a message to students studying abroad that it was time to come home.
At that time, the Office of International Students and Scholars began working with Homeland Security to help international students maintain their legal status, according to Xochitl Lopez, director of ISS.
However, this decision places international students in yet another predicament: to stay or go.
Choosing to study internationally is not only a risky one with the complicated visa process, but also a costly one.
Out-of-state students wishing to study at CSULB can expect to pay $35,000, according to the financial aid website, while California residents pay only $10,296.
This article was contributed to by editor in chief, Madalyn Amato.
Information regarding Gregory Woods’ statement was corrected at 11:55 a.m. on July 7 to better reflect the university’s decision-making process.
