The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is pleased to learn of the administration’s decision to walk back a new policy that would have required international students taking classes exclusively online courses in the fall 2020 semester to transfer or leave the country. This was an important and necessary step by the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
International students are part of the lifeblood of the United States. They should be celebrated for their myriad contributions, not turned away. The enactment of the administration’s July 6 Directive would have had devastating consequences—not only for these students and the academic institutions that host them, but for our society.
We are grateful the administration responded appropriately to the concerns expressed across the country by colleges and universities, professional membership associations, advocacy groups and more. AADR is proud to stand behind our international students, including its vibrant and diverse student members, and will continue to advocate for policies that honor and celebrate their role in this country.
About the American Association for Dental Research
The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) is a nonprofit organization with over 3,100 individual members in the United States, dedicated to driving dental, oral and craniofacial research to advance health and well-being through discovery and dissemination. The AADR is the largest Division of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR).