New guidance from U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) states that international students at schools offering completely online learning will be forced to leave the country, risk deportation, or transfer to a school offering in-person classes, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report.
University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank says the new ICE policy forces the university to choose between continuing in-person learning despite rising levels of coronavirus infection, or lose international students. At this time, the university is planning to reopen with a mix of online and in-person classes but that may change depending on the pandemic.
In a statement, Edgewood College in Madison expressed similar concerns, stating the policy is “deeply troubling and confusing at best; at its worst, it is a policy that clearly embraces xenophobia and hatred.” Edgewood is planning to hold in-person classes in the fall.
