Response to ICE Ruling

Students, Staff, and Faculty,

Yesterday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), released a new rule requiring international students to leave the country if their colleges or universities shift to full online operations. The ruling is deliberately cruel and manifestly unjust. It is transparently intended to disrupt the education of international students and force them to leave the United States for arbitrary reasons. The decision advances no public interest, serves no public good, and has no justification. It is purely malevolent.

The new guidance does not impact Hampshire’s enrolled and admitted international students, as we will be providing a hybrid experience that offers both remote and in-person classes. Today, we contacted all of our international students to assure them that there is no immediate effect on their status and their ability to study at Hampshire this fall. International students should not change or make decisions about enrollment at Hampshire or make plans to depart the U.S. without first consulting our international student advisors, Katie Irwin and David Ko.

We are actively seeking to help international students at other colleges whose education is threatened. Because Hampshire has capacity to safely add students this fall, we can offer sanctuary for at least some international students who might otherwise have to leave the United States. We will continue to search for additional ways to counter the destructiveness of this decision.

The new ICE Student Exchange Visitor Program rule runs counter to Hampshire College’s deeply held commitments to inclusion and equity. It fails to appreciate the significant contributions made by international students, staff, and faculty to our communities and pedagogy. As a community we reaffirm our support for our international students, staff, and faculty. We remain committed to supporting international students as they enroll or continue their studies at Hampshire.

Ed Wingenbach
President