LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some university officials in Kentucky worry that a recent decision by immigration officials to possibly deport international students whose schools are providing only online instruction this fall could have far-reaching consequences on the students and the institutions.
“I think some students are a little on edge or uncertain," said Denise Hall, assistant director for student services at Transylvania University.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified colleges Monday that international students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools operate entirely online this fall. New visas will not be issued to students at those schools, and others at universities offering a mix of online and in-person classes will be barred from taking all of their classes online.
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have filed a lawsuit to try to block the policy, and other universities promised to work with students to keep them on campus.
Transylvania, along with the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University plan to offer classroom instruction this fall, but officials worry about a spike in COVID-19 cases and possible executive action that would prohibit in-person instruction. That would mean international students at Kentucky’s universities would be subject again to deportation.
Denise Hall. (Courtesy of LEX18.)
"For them, potentially not being permitted to be in the U.S. could have really big implications, that we haven't even thought of all of them, yet," Hall said, according to a story by LEX18.
For Hall, those include economic, cultural and the potential health implications that are associated with international travel, necessitated by deportation.
"Exposing them to the virus in a way that no one wants for someone they care about," she said.
Hall cares about them all. Transy has only a small number of international students, and she's gotten to know each one of them.
"We know their families too," she added while talking about the massive negative impact this type of action would have on them.
Hall also said that if international students are deported, they might face other hurdles, such as spotty internet connections and a significant time difference.
"It could mean someone sitting for a class at 2 a.m.," she said.
Universities across the U.S. say the more than 1 million international students have an important place in their communities. Many schools have also come to depend on revenue from international students, who typically pay higher tuition rates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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