July 14, 2020
ICE Rescinds Directive on International Students
Dear SMC Colleagues and Students,
Yesterday, I wrote to inform you about Santa Monica College’s advocacy efforts on
behalf of our international students in light of the July 6 federal directive that
would have stripped their visas if the college courses they took in the U.S. were
all virtual/online. Today, I am pleased to report a major victory! In federal court in Boston, the Department
of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced
the rescission of the directive that would bar international students taking online-only
courses from residing in the United States. ICE will revert back to the guidance it issued in March—amid the COVID-19 pandemic—that
allows students taking online courses to reside in the United States on F-1 visas,
and students studying from their home countries to also maintain their F-1 status
from abroad. (Read California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley’s statement
on the rescission here). Although the action was taken in a lawsuit brought by Harvard
University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, we believe that the lawsuit
filed by the California Attorney General influenced this wonderful, swift outcome.
Yesterday, with substantial support from Santa Monica College, the California Attorney
General filed a 247-page motion to enjoin the July 6 Directive, demonstrating that
the July 6 ICE action was legally unsupportable. (Read the motion State Motion for Preliminary Injunction (opens in new window) ). Again, this is a victory for SMC, for U.S. higher education overall, and is evidence
of ongoing support for international students. But most of all, it is a well-deserved
recognition of the value of international students who enrich the Santa Monica College
community and make it a tapestry of true global diversity.
Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President