The Trump administration announced a ruling last week that would force international students studying in the United States to return home if their institution is set to have online instruction this semester. 

Schools across the country, including Iowa State, denounced this ruling and asked for it to be rescinded, leading to the ruling being dropped Tuesday afternoon.

When the ruling was first announced, students and administrators were appalled. President Wendy Wintersteen joined other Iowa Board of Regents university presidents in sending a letter to Congress urging for the ruling to be reversed.

If the ruling had remained, international students could have faced deportation if they didn’t comply with it. 

After the Trump administration announced the ruling would be rescinded, the Iowa Board of Regents university presidents released a statement regarding the rescission. 

“As the presidents of the state’s Regents institutions, we stand with the more than 6,000 international students across our campuses,” the statement said.

“These talented and dedicated students represent more than 120 nationalities and contribute to the richness and vitality of our campus communities. We will continue to advocate for our international students, who are valued members of our campuses and communities.”

Senior in management information systems and Malaysian Students Association member Imran Maszeri said he is thrilled the ruling was overturned.

“I am absolutely delighted that the initial ruling was rescinded so that F-1 students like me can at least stay in the U.S. for studies until graduation,” Maszeri said. “According to the Harvard Crimson, the parties that brought this issue to the court agreed to this resolution ‘less than five minutes’ into a district court hearing in Boston.”

Maszeri also said while he is happy with the reversal, he wants to remember the ruling was set in place in the first place. 

“It should not be forgotten that the initial ruling was made without proper planning and reason other than to kick out international students, harming our study plans and only using us to force colleges to have full in-person classes amidst the rising numbers of coronavirus cases in the country,” Maszeri said. 

When the original ruling was first announced, Maszeri said he was deeply upset and disappointed.

“In my opinion, this decision by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is nothing more than just a discriminatory policy towards students who are only here to receive and share knowledge from the various universities in the U.S.,” Maszeri said. “We are here because we acknowledge that American universities and their education system are considered as one of the best in the world, and so we are willing to pay much more to attend their colleges and get experiences so that we can share the experiences to the people back in our home country.”

Another student who said they wished to remain anonymous also expressed their anger when the ruling was announced. 

“This is unfair for international students,” they said. “We pay double the tuition, bring our unique culture and experiences to this country, spend money, travel — adding to the economy — and get racist comments from people. This decision has put immense pressure, uncertainty and anxiety on international students and parents.

“I feel like we became scapegoats for the upcoming elections. All I care about is my education and future, not the politics of this country but yet a single decision from the government and politicians has a profound effect on people like me.”

Dinoth Rathnaweera is a senior mechanical engineering major from Sri Lanka. He said he was relieved to hear about the ruling being overturned, but doesn’t think this is something to be forgotten.

“It is bittersweet knowing that such an order by the president was made in the first place and had to be fought by the universities; it is just crazy,” Rathnaweera said. “I understand that I am not a citizen of the United States.” 

Rathnaweera said he is concerned a ruling like this, even if overturned, could affect prospects of employment for himself and for other international students and cloud those prospects with uncertainty.

“I have been in this country for three years with the potential to land a job here. I have spent time, effort and money into my education, but with Trump’s administration, that idea of job opportunities is slowly fading with me having just one year left. International students are left wondering how it will turn out; it was already an obstacle for me to get a full-time position; now, it’s proving more challenging than ever,” Rathnaweera said. 

Rathnaweera thanked universities for having the backs of international students during this time.

“I am very grateful to all the universities and people that fought this unintelligent rule,” Rathnaweera said.

As it stands, international students will be able to remain in the United States regardless of whether classes are online or in person.