U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that nonimmigrant international students must leave or face deportation if their institution switches to remote learning due to the pandemic. This is an unfair attack on International students by a partisan agency within the government. As academics and as citizens, we know the harm this will do to the academic enterprise in this country.

1. We declare that Universities have the right to implement remote learning and any other pedagogical tool, whether to better education or to preserve public health, without government limitation of our Academic and Intellectual Freedom.

2. We declare that International Students bring value to the academic enterprise, that a diversity of ideas encourages increased innovation and productivity, and that International students shall be afforded all of the same rights and privileges at an educational institution as Domestic students.

3. We request that the ICE decision be reversed to allow international students in good standing to renew their Visas and physically stay in the U.S. during their education regardless of institutional pedagogical decisions in (1).

For reasons of safety and solidarity, please sign this petition only if you are currently 1. a US Citizen and 2. a student or employed in academia, education, or higher-ed administration.