Month: July 2020 (Page 1 of 3)

‘Reach Out in Mercy to the Stranger’

I’m submitting my concerns regarding the proposed changes to the Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible Fear & Reasonable Fear Review. I have spent the last three years working with asylum seekers in Phoenix, Arizona, after they have been released from ICE custody. I have participated in interviews of their experiences in their home countries, as well as the countries they have traveled through to get to the United States. Many of their experiences involve horrific violence, torture, the kidnapping of children and death threats for refusing to sell drugs. The most common feature of these horrible experiences was that the government couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything to protect its own citizens. 

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Letters Opposing ICE Changes to Student and Exchange Visitor Program

Update: On July 14, 2020, federal immigration officials rescinded the new guidelines for the Student Exchange Visitor Program, reverting back to guidance from March 2020 that allows exceptions to in-person class requirements due to the pandemic.

This letter-writing campaign began as an effort by Mormon Women for Ethical Government. Many of our members, especially those with international family, friends, and students, were very concerned that on July 6, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced they would modify the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows international students to study in the U.S. on F-1 and M-1 visas.

As a result of the changes, students who have these visas would be required to leave the U.S. if their college or university is not offering in-person classes. In-person classwork has always been a requirement for these visas, but in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic the SEVP allowed foreign students to take their spring and summer classes online while staying in the country. ICE’s recent announcement makes it clear that this accommodation will not be available as of the fall 2020 semester, and international students whose schools are not offering in-person classes must transfer to a school that does offer in-person instruction — or “depart the country.”  

Per the MWEG Principles of Ethical Government, we are committed to “promoting ethical government for the protection and well-being of our brothers and sisters.” Over one million men and women come to the U.S. each year to advance their education and develop their skills. Their presence blesses and enriches our country both here and abroad. ICE’s new policy is unnecessary, callous, and does not advance any American interests. After our open call for letters, we were impressed with the sincerity and thoughtfulness they embodied.

With the authors’ permission, we’re reprinting them here.

‘Losing These Students Would Greatly Diminish the Budgets of Our Educational Institutions and the Diversity of Our Educational Communities’

Dear Senator Lee, Senator Romney, and Representative Curtis,

My son-in-law came to this country on a student visa and was on the last flight out of Liberia before it was shut down due to Ebola. My-son-in-law and my daughter’s other African friends, whom she met at university, have become vital contributors to our economy and our communities, many in vital fields. 

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‘I Know How Dedicated and Determined These Students Are and How Much They Want to Contribute to the World”

Dear Senator Lee, Senator Romney, and Representative Stewart,

It is with grave concern that I am writing to you about the rule change issued by SEVP on July 6 prohibiting international students from taking online classes to maintain their F1 visa status. This policy change is cruel to students who are putting in a good-faith effort to complete their education here in the United States during a time when the risk of COVID-19 infection is greater than ever. 

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‘I Ask You to Consider the Health and Well-Being of Our International Students’

Dear Senator Lee, Senator Romney, and Representative McAdams,

I am a recent graduate from BYU, now living in Millcreek. I still have contact with my friends and colleagues in Provo, and many of them are international students. I was just speaking with one of these friends, and she told me of her fear that she may not be able to finish out the school year because of the recent ICE policy.

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‘They Will Enrich Our Country With Their Desire To Build a Better Society’

The Department of Homeland Security’s recently proposed massive changes to asylum policy violate decades of asylum policy norms, international asylum law set forth by the UN, and our moral responsibility to protect people fleeing for their safety. 

The proposal restricts protection for those fleeing torture and sets unrealistic standards for those arriving at the US-Mexico border. It overrides current US and international law by eliminating protection for people fleeing domestic and gang-related violence. It permits judges to deny valid claims before the asylum seekers even get to appear in court. 

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‘Requiring Colleges and Universities to Open for In-Person Instruction Is Unsafe and Unnecessary’

Dear Senator Feinstein, Senator Harris, and Representative Eshoo,

I am an independent voter who is deeply concerned about the fact that under ICE’s new rules, international students must choose between attending in-person classes during a pandemic or taking them online from another country.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still spiking in the United States, requiring colleges and universities to open for in-person instruction is unsafe and unnecessary. But the new SEVP modifications announced on July 6 by ICE force institutions to choose between putting the health of their students and instructors at risk or losing their international students.

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‘International Students Are a Boon to Our Economy, Our Academic Programs, and Our Progress as a Nation’

Dear Senator Crapo, Senator Risch, and Representative Sampson,

The ICE policy announced on July 6 is completely senseless. International students are a boon to our economy, our academic programs, and our progress as a nation. The policy appears to be a contemptuous political ploy to force universities to stay open in order to support the Trump administration’s narrative about the nature of the pandemic. Real lives will be disrupted unnecessarily if this policy is not reversed. I urge you to act responsibly and seek to solve this unnecessary problem before it happens.

Regards,
Stephen (Idaho)

‘It Is of Value to Me That International Students Are Not Just Allowed, but Encouraged to Attend Universities and Colleges Here’

Dear Senator Lee, Senator Romney, and Representative McAdams,

I am an independent voter who is deeply concerned about the fact that under ICE’s new rules, international students must choose between attending in-person classes during a pandemic or taking them online from another country. This sounds extreme and totally unnecessary.

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