Trump Administration Drops Plan To Deport International Students

WALTHAM, MA — The Trump administration on Tuesday dropped a directive that would have banned international students from the US if they were not enrolled in at least one in-person class at college this fall. It would also have deported those in the states.

The news, which would have left the fate of thousands of students in the air, had drawn criticism from colleges and universities across the country, including in Waltham.

Associate dean and director of Bentley University’s Center for International Students and Scholars Christine Lookner called the news a relief.

"Last week’s guidance limiting international students from returning to study in the U.S. was disappointing, narrow-minded and wrong," she said in a statement. "This is a big victory for colleges across the U.S., for the international students who attend them, and for the millions of domestic students whose education is strengthened by learning with foreign classmates from diverse backgrounds and life experiences."

Previously, Jodi Hanelt, the director of the International Students and Scholars Office at Brandeis, also in Waltham, had expressed hope that the guidance, which had yet to be approved, wouldn't make it far, and predicted even more litigation.

"It leaves a lot of questions that SEVP must answer, and we hope this will be accomplished prior to the publication of the final rule," said Hanelt. "Advocacy groups, including NAFSA, ACE, and the AAU, have voiced their strong objections to the SEVP guidance, and we also expect legislators to address this issue with DHS."

Read more:

• Harvard, MIT Sue ICE Over Student Deportation Plan
• Trump Administration Drops International Student Rule