“We deserve to be here,” say Brazilian students threatened by Trump decree

Weathering the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic can already be extremely challenging and stressful on its own, with uncertainties over personal finance, health concerns, and rising death tolls around the world adding to people’s daily struggles. Yet, for international students at higher education institutions in the U.S., the crisis might become even more worrisome. In fact, situations may become impossible after the latest guidelines issued by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cast doubts over their right to stay legally in the country.

On July 6, ICE announced special regulations over the stays and visa status of nonimmigrant international students (F-1 and M-1 visa holders) at U.S. universities for the Fall 2020 term.

The new regulations were said to “provide flexibility to schools and nonimmigrant students” while mitigating health hazards amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet they might further endanger international students and make it increasingly difficult for them to stay in the U.S.

Among the most eye-catching regulations is the denial of stay in the country for international students whose schools will only provide online classes during the fall, a move prominent American universities such as Harvard and Georgetown have already announced they will pursue due to the health dangers an in-person semester could pose.

ICE also added that failing to comply with this guideline may trigger “the initiation of removal proceedings,” thus forcing hundreds of thousands of international students to leave the country midway through the pandemic, or turning them into illegal immigrants overnight.

Furthermore, if universities decide to hold in-person or hybrid classes for the upcoming semester, international students — regardless if they are currently outside the U.S. — are expected to be on campus to attend classes in order to maintain their visa and academic status. This requirement — already troublesome for students outside the U.S. that will have to expose themselves through lengthy international travel during a pandemic — may be the source of an even greater plight for Brazilian students due to current travel restrictions.

You can’t come, but you have to

On May 24, President Donald Trump issued an executive order barring the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants coming from Brazil or anyone who has been in Brazil within the 14 days...