Westminster College is proud to join the growing number of institutions opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regulations for international students.
Westminster President Beth Dobkin signed the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration’s amicus brief that supports a federal lawsuit filed by Harvard and MIT. The lawsuit seeks to permanently halt recent ICE rules requiring F-1 international students to leave the U.S. if colleges move to remote/online instruction for the Fall 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joining the amicus brief is another demonstration of Westminster’s service and support for nearly 100 international students representing over 40 countries at the college. After the ICE announcement last week, Westminster’s Office for Global Engagement personally reached out to international students to clarify how the new ICE rule would affect them and their fall 2020 enrollment. A forum was also held for students to ask questions and express concerns. The regulations should not impact their education with Westminster under the college’s plan for in-person instruction as most courses will be in-person coupled with technology use.
Westminster’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion would be incomplete without the voices and lived experiences of our international students, as noted in the college’s Diversity Statement and Commitment to an Inclusive Westminster.
