Trump Caves on Spiteful & Counterproductive Plan to Deport International Students

Yesterday, the Trump administration backed down on its threat to deport thousands of international students attending universities that will be conducting classes online this Fall. It was an exceptionally cruel and mindless policy and universities and 20 states went to court to overturn it.

Trump's plan would have cost the universities and the US economy jobs and billions of dollars, and the only conceivable rationales seemed political rather than practical, raw meat for Trump's xenophobic base and a naked attempt to force universities to conduct in-person classes in order to buoy Trump's re-election bid.

New York Times: "The universities said in their court challenge to the latest policy that “by all appearances,” the government’s attempt to force international students to study on campus had also been a political move, calculated to advance the Trump administration’s agenda to force universities to reopen their gates with in-person classes."

The administration's plan might have seemed like a good political strategy several weeks ago, but with virus cases spiking across the country, forcing universities to re-open their campuses in August just seems spiteful and counterproductive. The schools should be free to make that determination based on what's best for the health and safety of their students, faculty and staff, not the whims of a notoriously feckless President.

#news

By: Don Lam & Curated Content