Dean Matthew Diller was quoted in Law.com on ICE’s shifting student visa rules and its impact on law schools.
Matthew Diller, dean of Fordham University School of Law, said Wednesday that the reversal in policy was likely prompted by the likelihood that the mounting legal challenges would succeed. While a welcome development, the rollback of the in-person class requirement doesn’t eliminate the many other challenges that international students face during the pandemic. Foremost is their ability to secure students visas at a time when many consulates remain closed. Diller said many of Fordham’s international law students still don’t know whether they will be able to come to New York next month when classes resume.
“The whole issue was terrible for our students,” he said. “Our students are already juggling so many things. We have international students who returned to their home countries who are anxious to come back. We have international students who are here in the U.S. who can’t go back easily because their countries aren’t welcoming to Americans at this point. Our international students—like all law students—are already dealing with tremendous anxiety.”