This week, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which is part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
announced new guidance
for F-1 students taking classes during the Fall 2020 academic semester. These new regulations have caused great distress for many. I want to make clear that because of our plans to offer hybrid courses, international students at Pace University will be protected. They will continue their studies as planned.
At the same time, while we all cheered the Supreme Court’s decision last month that upholds the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that began under President Obama, we remain concerned about the program’s future. US Customs and Immigration Services has not confirmed that the agency will be accepting or processing new DACA applications.
To our international students, and to our DACA students, I want to be very clear: You are valuable members of the Pace Community. You are foundational to who we are as an institution. You are hardworking, ambitious young people who bring your perspectives and experiences to our classrooms and make our campuses more vibrant. You help us to fulfill our mission of
Opportunitas
, to provide a global education to a student body that reflects both our world and our future. We are proud to stand with you.
We know that our commitments, while important, are not enough. International students and DACA students everywhere need our support and advocacy. That is why we are joining an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit filed in federal court by Harvard and MIT to block the new rule. We will continue to advocate through organizations like the
Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
, of which we have been an active member. And we will continue to
speak out
on the importance of DACA.
When we return to campus in the fall, the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, led by Chief Diversity Officer Tiffany Hamilton, will continue building our institutional infrastructure to support our immigrant and DACA population. I also want to remind our students that the
Center for Community Action and Research
is a resource for you to learn about civic engagement on immigration issues.
Thank you for everything you do to support our vibrant community every day.
