On July 6th, 2020 the ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) issued a statement that international students (F-1 and M-1 student visas) could face unlawful deportation if instruction is moved entirely online for the fall semester.

Not only is this an educational concern, but it is a public health concern as well and puts students as risk as they return to their home countries where internet access, educational opportunities, and safety may not be guaranteed. 

Universities such as MIT and Harvard have already taken action against this unfair ruling by suing against it, stating that this is a blanket statement, and harmful because it stereotypes international students into a box.

The Universities of New York, Columbia, and Berkeley have already adapted their coursework to create an "in-person" "global course" for all international students to register for so that they can't be deported by the ICE.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program's official policy is that international students may only stay in the United States if their University is offering in person classes. Students could be forced to transfer (which isn't always a financially viable option) and limit their access to their studies.

The purpose of this petition is to call upon Pepperdine University to became a sanctuary campus.

What this would entail:

1. Giving International Students priority for on campus housing if the University opens with a hybrid model in the fall

and

2. Offering in-person coursework for international students

Numbers 35:11: "...then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there."

Read the modifications here (https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sevp-modifies-temporary-exemptions-nonimmigrant-students-taking-online-courses-during):

*Nonimmigrant F-1and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States. The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States. Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status. If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.
*Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools operating under normal in-person classes are bound by existing federal regulations. Eligible F students may take a maximum of one class or three credit hours online.
*Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools adopting a hybrid model—that is, a mixture of online and in person classes—will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online. These schools must certify to SEVP, through the Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” certifying that the program is not entirely online, that the student is not taking an entirely online course load this semester, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree program. The above exemptions do not apply to F-1 students in English language training programs or M-1 students pursing vocational degrees, who are not permitted to enroll in any online courses."