On July 6, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that visas for international students in the U.S. may be revoked if they are not taking in-person classes in fall 2020. Given the ambiguities of the current time and the potential for universities to choose not to host on-campus students in fall, international students in Library and Information Science (LIS) and its cognate disciplines may be unable to meet the requirements for in-person classes in their otherwise in-person programs and may be forced to leave. The Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) opposes the enforcement of this policy as it imposes rules that are harmful, cruel, and impractical to thousands of international students who are currently enrolled in the U.S. higher education institutions. The impact on international students currently in the United States will be most damaging, causing discontinuation or severe disruptions in their learning.
In this special pandemic period when educational programs and institutions are developing plans to provide education to their students in ways that are as safe as possible, ALISE urges the U.S. administration to allow the flexibility of its policy regarding international students and minimize disruption to those who teach and study in the U.S. ALISE supports international students in our field and other disciplines.
Adopted July 9, 2020