In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, more colleges and universities in the United States are deciding to hold their classes online for the fall semester. Foreign students, who legally immigrate to the United States on student/education visas, have typically been limited on how many online courses they can take, and they are required to complete the majority of their learning in the physical classroom. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this expectation is unattainable for foreign students, which is why they were given flexibility to take more online classes during the spring and summer semesters. Now, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released new regulations that require international students to either attend in-person classes during a pandemic, or be deported and take their classes online from another country.

These regulations are completely uncalled for, as they are punishing immigrants that undergo the exhausting, difficult process of legally immigrating to the United States. They have done everything they can possibly do to ensure that their immigration process is legal, and they are still demonized and punished by the government. I may not be one of the hard working students directly affected by these regulations, but I have seen one of the most kind hearted individuals in my life struggle with the process of being able to attend college in the United States, and now he is being faced with possible deportation because of a pandemic that he has no control over. This is someone who aspires to help and protect citizens of a country he was not born into; this is someone who has lived in the United States for over four years and wants to continue his life here; and most importantly, this is someone who believed that the government would show him kindness and allow him to thrive in a country brimming with opportunities. He is not alone in these views, and everyone sharing his circumstance deserves the opportunity to stay in the United States to pursue an education and eventual career.