Area college leaders push back against ICE policy on international students

WORCESTER - Local college leaders on Wednesday strongly denounced guidelines by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that ban international students from colleges offering most programs online this fall, saying that the guidelines were inconsistent with the schools' values of inclusion and diversity and even that they violated students' human rights.

"The new guidelines are a direct violation of our students' human rights," Quinsigamond Community College President Luis G. Pedraja said in a forceful statement. "Our international students should not be subjected to such blatant discrimination."

The Trump administration issued new rules on Monday saying foreign students will not be issued new visas for those U.S. colleges and universities that are holding classes mostly online.

Schools such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology are challenging the guidelines in court.

The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order vacating the new policy and reinstating the March temporary guidance that allowed international students to remain in the country for online instruction during the duration of the public health emergency.

Attorney General Maura Healey indicated Tuesday that she's pursuing a lawsuit against ICE, while Republican Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday called the policy "a premature decision."

"Federal edicts like that, especially given that the facts on the ground do change quite a bit and are different everywhere, don't make a lot of sense," Baker said when asked about the topic Wednesday.

Instead, Baker said, the federal government should work with state and education officials to develop collaborative plans driven by local needs and public health outlooks.

"There are a lot of those folks who are working on really important research, some of which actually relates to COVID, both here in Massachusetts and in other parts of the country," he added. "Some of our best minds are involved in that. I don't see any reason at all why we wouldn't want them to continue to do that work."

For QCC, the guidelines would presumably affect all its international students. The community college announced in early June that it will offer remote instruction this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic, with a limited number of labs and clinical experiences that require direct hands-on participation to be offered in person.

"The decision of colleges and universities to continue with remote instruction this fall is for the health and safety of all students; not a chosen few," Pedraja's statement reads. "No one should have to choose between pursuing an education or deportation. Forcing students to choose between education and their health is unfathomable ... We must all stand together to support our international students and decry this vicious attack on individuals trying to realize their 'American Dream.' "

Other schools such as WPI have already announced that they will have students return to campus this fall. Clark University intends to reopen in the fall with in-person, hybrid, and online courses.

But they stood in solidarity with other schools in opposition to the guidelines.

"WPI has a proud history of welcoming and educating students and scholars from around the World," President Laurie Leshin said. "These future STEM leaders are important members of our community, and this week's action by ICE threatens their educational success."

Clark President David Fithian and more than a dozen other university leaders concurred.

"In seeking to expel these students from the U.S., ICE's ill-conceived guidelines arbitrarily disadvantage and marginalize them," the university leaders wrote in a letter to the Clark community. "We want our international students to know: We want you here, and we will fight for you to be here. You make Clark better."

Pedraja and other campus leaders wrote that international students are an integral part of the campus and the Worcester community.

"They expand our students' and our campuses horizons by opening them up to worldwide perspectives, which is so important in today's global economy," Pedraja said.

And at Clark, "our international students are a vital part of our community, of its excellence and diversity, of its participation in global discovery, learning, and understanding," Fithian and others wrote. "Purging the U.S. of international students for no fault of their own diminishes our country."

Moreover, Pedraja noted that international students are important for college finances.

"They typically pay out-of-state tuition, and do not receive financial aid," Pedraja said. "International students free up much needed resources, to allow the underserved and underrepresented members of our community the ability to access higher education."

Meanwhile, Leshin said WPI was supportive of legal action against the policy.

"(W)e are working with universities from around the country to help provide broad support and protection for all international students - including supporting legal efforts to stop this policy update from taking effect," Leshin said in the statement.

Clark said it was also collaborating with other colleges and universities in opposing the guidelines.

"We intend to explore every avenue available to us to stand against the implementation of these guidelines, are conveying our objections in no uncertain terms to our elected representatives in Washington, D.C., and are working with peer institutions and professional associations to urge ICE not to go forward with these changes," the Clark letter read.

Material from State House News Service was used in this report.

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