UO, OSU fighting back as international students face deportation

The University of Oregon says it will work to fight the latest move by the Trump administration.

A better housing environment.

International students whose university's switch to online only instruction will either have to leave the u-s or risk deportation.

That's according to u.s. immigration and customs enforcement, or " ice".

Kezi 9 news reporter emma jerome joins us live from the u of o campus with reaction from a concerned student.

Chynna - there are more than 1 million international students in the us and more than 2000 here at the uo - but just yesterday they were all warned by "ice" that if their university is switching to online only education in the fall... they could be forced to transfer, or face deportation.

One of those students is chloe li - an economics major here at the uo originally from mainland china chloe is entering her junior year.

She said a prime reason she chose to enroll in online classes for the fall is her own fear of exposure to coronavirus.

She told me when she reached out to the university, she was told if she enrolled in just one in person class... she should be fine.

"ice" suggests students enrolled in universities switching to online only, consider transferring.

Also, there is an exception for schools using a mix on online and in person classes regardless, chloe says its worrisome.

Roughly when i searched onlie on the duck web, it's like 30 percent that are in person class and 70 percent are online so it's hard for us to choose some classes actually in person and i have some concern about in person class because right now it's super exposed in the classroom."

Now - the university did respond calling this a "troubling step in an apparent effort to exclude international students from u.s. higher education."

They say they are working to fight this "latest move by the trump administration" with other major higher education associations.

Oregon state university also told me they are working to keep their international students here - and will do whatever it takes.

You'll hear from o.s.u.

Administrators on kezi 9 news at 5.

Reporting live from the university of oregon campus -