U.S. officials on Tuesday canceled a short-lived directive that would have prevented international student visa holders from entering the country if their schools were expected to hold online only classes during the coronavirus pandemic. Issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the rescinded July 6 guidance also set forth that foreign scholars in the United States who were not attending in-person classes were subject to deportation.ICE’s decision settled a lawsuit initiated by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute…
Internet Access Disrupted in Iran as Uproar Rises Against Executions
Following a string of announcements by the Islamic Republic of Iran about convictions, death penalties for protesters and executions of political prisoners, a wide cross-section of Iranians resorted to a campaign on social media against the authorities.The Persian hashtag #DontExecute trended in the world, occupying the highest spot Tuesday evening GMT time. Diverse individuals and…
ICE Won’t Compel Foreign Students to Be on Campus
Students and educators expressed relief and joy after the U.S. government withdrew a rule requiring international students to be on campus this autumn or risk losing their visa status. Since last week, students and educators have been immersed in confusion and anxiety, they said, over the uncertainty of whether they would be allowed to attend their classes online…
Trump Administration Rescinds Rule on Foreign Students
Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic. The decision was announced at the start of a hearing in a federal lawsuit in…
US Visa Changes Create Panic Among Indian Students
With leases signed, tickets booked, deposits paid, and about a month for schools to reopen, the recent U.S. directive requiring F-1 student visa holders to be on campus this fall has hung a looming cloud of uncertainty over Indian students. The announcement by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week that international students…
Over 200 US Universities Challenge ICE Guidelines on Foreign Students
Over 200 universities have signed briefs in support of Harvard and MIT’s lawsuit challenging a U.S. guideline to not grant visas to international students whose coursework will be all online. Fifty-nine schools, including Stanford and Duke, filed a brief Monday in support of the suit, saying the new guidelines forces schools to “choose between opening their…
In US, International Students Face Uncertainty Over New Visa Rules
It’s still unclear if many U.S. students will head back to schools and universities at the beginning of the school year. But the situation is graver for international students. Lesia Bakalets has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Yuriy Zakrevskiy …
Dozens of US Universities Support Challenge to Trump’s Order on Foreign Students
About 60 U.S. universities on Sunday filed a brief supporting a lawsuit by two others, seeking to block a Trump administration rule barring foreign students from remaining in the country if educational institutions don’t hold in-person classes this fall.The lawsuit was filed by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Wednesday in a…
Black Students Afraid to Return to Kansas State University After Racist Tweet
Many Black students at Kansas State University are afraid to return to school after a white student made a racist tweet about George Floyd, a Black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis.Jaden McNeil tweeted, “Congratulations to George Floyd on being drug free for an entire month!” A statement that drew support from national…
Court Decision Postponed on Federal Rule Targeting Foreign Students
A federal judge postponed taking action Friday in a lawsuit filed by two universities against the U.S. government, while the state of California filed a separate lawsuit over federal guidance that foreign students who take online-only classes will lose their immigration status.U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs announced she would wait until next week to decide…
International Students in Limbo Following New Visa Guidance
New guidelines introduced this week by U.S. immigration will require international students to leave the U.S. if they do not attend class on campus in person. But students already in the U.S. on F-1 visas will face challenges trying to go home amid a global pandemic. Esha Sarai has more.Producer: Esha Sarai. Videographers: Esha Sarai,…
Foreign Students Caught Between COVID-19 and ICE
Pat Janyamethakul, a Thai student at Virginia Tech, wanted to attend college in the U.S. because of “the country’s reputation in higher education.” The senior says that earning a degree here would “set her apart” from her peers back in Thailand.Rafael Lima, a Brazilian student, has one more year to go at Wake Forest University…
Trump: Health Guidelines for School Reopenings ‘Very Impractical’
President Donald Trump rebuffed the country’s health experts on Wednesday, saying their recommendations for schools to reopen in the coming weeks in the face of the surging coronavirus pandemic are too tough, expensive and “very impractical.” Trump, who on Tuesday pressed the country’s 50 state governors and local school officials to restart in-person classes in August…
Harvard, MIT Sue to Block ICE Rule on International Students
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. government over a policy change that would require international students to be on campus in person for classes this fall or lose their immigration status. US Universities Brace for Big Decline in International StudentsLatest policy from immigration agency says…
Physician Named University of California’s First Black President
Dr. Michael Drake was chosen Tuesday to be president of the University of California, the first Black leader in the system’s 150-year history.Drake, a seasoned university administrator, replaces Janet Napolitano in overseeing a sprawling, 280,000-student system dealing with issues of accessibility for Blacks and other minorities along with slashed budgets and upended campus life because…
What Is Known about ICE’s Rule Change for Foreign Students
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities that switch to online-only courses will have to leave the country or risk deportation. Here’s an overview of what is known about the most recent changes to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program during the pandemic. How many colleges and universities are planning online-only classes?Nine percent of 1,090…
Facebook, Others Block Requests on Hong Kong User Data
Social media platforms and messaging apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and Twitter will deny law enforcement requests for user data in Hong Kong as they assess the effect of a new national security law enacted last week.Facebook and its messaging app WhatsApp said in separate statements Monday that they would freeze the review of…
US Universities Brace for Big Decline in International Enrollment
Universities preparing for big declines in international enrollment and revenues will be further depressed by a federal decision to strip students of their visa status if they do not attend college and university in person this fall. “Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures,…
Drastic Declines Expected in Foreign Students in US
Universities preparing for big declines in international enrollment and revenues will be further depressed by a federal decision to strip students of their visa status if they do not attend college and university in person this fall. “Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures,…
New Rules: Foreign Pupils Must Leave US If Classes Go Online
International students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online this fall, under new guidelines issued Monday by federal immigration authorities. The guidelines, issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide additional pressure for universities to reopen even amid growing concerns about the recent spread…
40% of Harvard Students to Return to Campus for Remote Classes
Harvard University will allow 40% of its student population back on campus this fall, though all instruction will remain remote, the school announced Monday. Harvard had previously announced that all classes would be held remotely through the fall semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but on Monday announced it would welcome back to campus first-year students…
This Voter Group Could Sway 2020 Election
Ian Martens, a rising junior at Furman University in South Carolina, says President Donald Trump has “done a great job building our economy up,” and he likes the fact that Trump “stands up for Second Amendment rights,” or the right to bear arms. “Most importantly, he is the most pro-life president,” Martens told VOA, calling that political issue for him “a…
Sculpting Chocolate
Juliana Desmond is a sculptor. She also has a passion for chocolate. During many of her travels to Mexico,Desmond became inspired to shape and form chocolate that looks like art. …
Sculpting Chocolate
Juliana Desmond has a passion for chocolate, the product that is made from the fermented cacao bean. The bean comes from pod-like fruits from trees in places such as Mexico’s Chiapas, Tabasco, Guerrero and Oaxaca regions. Cacao pods The beans are often coarsely ground to make into a paste, or more thoroughly processed for truffles or…
Thinking Magically
Jorges Yances art evokes a mysterious interplay between past and present, reality and fantasy a style called magical realism. …
Thinking Magically
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The paintings of Jorge A. Yances evoke a mysterious interplay between past and present, reality and fantasy, a style called magical realism. “I paint first and foremost because it is a necessity for myself. It’s something that I have to do almost every day, even if I…
Hmong Farmer, Minnesota Organic
May Lee is a farmer in Minnesota. With her daughter Mhonpaj, she operates Mhonpaj’s Garden, which produces a variety of vegetables, bedding plants and herbs for the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Bell peppers, cucumbers, sweet corn, tomatoes, onions and peas are just some of the vegetables on the farm. Lee says farming reminds her of her childhood.“I am…
Immigrant Farmer Serves Up Organic Vegetables in Minnesota
May Lee is a certified organic farmer in Minnesota. …