Administration Reverses Guidance to Deport International Students

Published on : July 16, 2020


The Trump Administration rescinded guidance on July 14 to deport international college students whose classes were offered exclusively online. CSWE, along with many other organizations and schools, had twice last week voiced concerns about the guidance to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.

U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs announced the administration’s reversal during a hearing on a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that challenged the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans.

“This is a welcome step toward addressing a potentially harmful rule from the administration. CSWE was glad to join with 80 education associations and dozens of colleges in opposing the rule in two separate statements. However, we will remain vigilant on this issue as there may be other attempts by the administration to make it difficult for international students to enroll in courses this fall,” said CSWE President and CEO Darla Spence Coffey, PhD, MSW.

Read the letters to the administration and share your comments on CSWE Spark.  

On July 6, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that F-1 and M-1 visa holders enrolled in colleges under the Student Exchange Visitor Program would not be allowed to enter or stay in the country if they were attending schools that, due to the pandemic, offered online courses exclusively.