Courtney Statement as Trump Administration Rescinds Policy to Deport International Students for Universities’ Public Health Decisions
“The Administration’s plan to deport international students because of a public health decision made by colleges, not by the students, was totally irrational,” said Congressman Courtney.
NORWICH, CT – Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), a senior Member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, issued the following statement today after the Trump Administration rescinded its proposed rule that would have required international students in the United States to leave the country or transfer if their school held classes entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The Administration's plan to deport international students because of a public health decision made by colleges, not by the students, was totally irrational," said Congressman Courtney. "From every standpoint—educational, public health, or even from a purely monetary standpoint—this decision was harmful. The tuition that international students pay totals $41 billion, and that helps our nation's trade balance. If the Administration's proposed policy went into effect, educators and universities like UCONN would have been trapped in an impossible position of being forced to reopen campuses regardless of public health risk, or ejecting paying students from the U.S. who add to the richness of higher education for their American-born classmates. I give credit to all of the students, teachers, university presidents and staff who sounded the alarm and challenged this proposal—they spoke up loudly and clearly, and they're the reason why the Administration has been forced to walk back this ill-conceived policy proposal."
Last week, Rep. Courtney highlighted the importance of international students, as well as comments from UCONN's Coach Geno Auriemma, during a House Education and Labor Committee hearing on the impact of COVID-19 on higher education. Click here to watch his full remarks.
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