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. More information may be found here: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/bcm2007-01.pdf

International students, who make up about ~5.5% of students enrolled in US higher education and contributed about $41 billion dollars to the US economy in the 2018-2019 school year, are being forced to travel home where they may not have access to proper resources in order to continue their education (ie: high-speed Internet). These students should not only be looked at as a statistic or a positive contribution to the US economy. 

Many of these students leave their family and friends back home, and come to the United States in hopes of receiving a quality education. These students deal with culture shock, financial issues, and many other challenges. Forcing these students to return home will negatively impact their education, finances, as well as their mental and physical health.

Many of these students have already signed leases and will be forced to pay for housing which they will not be residing in.

Furthermore, with the time differences overseas, attending live classes will be difficult for these students. 

With COVID-19, traveling back home may risk having these students come in contact with the virus. 

Another important note to consider is that many countries have placed travel bans which will force these students to stay in the United States illegally. 

With this Petition, we are requesting ICE to rescind their decision to send International Students back to their home countries and allow them to stay in the US while being enrolled in online courses.