Campus & Community

ICE Rescinds Directive Affecting International Students

Tuesday, July 14, 2020, By News Staff

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:

Earlier today, we received notice that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has rescinded its July 6 directive that international students who planned to enroll only in online classes would not be permitted to remain in the United States. Today’s decision to rescind this directive means that, for the fall semester, there are no restrictions on the number of online-only courses that can be taken by international students currently in the United States and no special requirement that these international students enroll in one or more in-person classes at Syracuse University. We expect guidance for international students currently abroad in the coming days.

This decision is critical for our students, many of whom have been impacted by travel restrictions, economic hardship and the fear of being forced to leave the United States.

We applaud this decision and regret that the guidance issued last week caused unnecessary stress and anxiety for our international students. We are hopeful that the powerful voice of higher education—which benefits greatly from the talents, hard work and creativity of international students—will continue to be heard in decision making.

Syracuse University will continue to advocate for current and newly enrolling international students. Since the initial announcement, the University has taken steps to express our deep dismay and opposition to ICE’s July 6 guidance, including joining an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit filed by Harvard University and MIT, and our support of a lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General seeking to block the implementation of ICE’s proposed policy.

We encourage our international students to contact the Center for International Services at international@syr.edu or 315.443.2457 to access resources and services and to receive additional support.

Sincerely,

John Liu
Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost

Amanda Nicholson
Interim Deputy Senior Vice President, Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience