Mines international students affected by pandemic travel restrictions and bans

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA TV) - President Donald Trump recently rescinded the call for deporting international students if their college classes shifted to online classes due to the coronavirus.

One local university points to the vital role these students play in the economy, and the overall learning environment.

School of Mines and Technology tends to have on average about 150 international students...mainly coming from India, Brazil and Europe.

That's why the school was concerned about the students' immigration statuses when the intent is to just come here and learn.

In South Dakota, international students contribute $45.4 million to the economy and support 320 jobs.

Between the difficulty in booking a flight and other countries' travel restrictions, there are some international students that will not be coming to the university this year.

“Can you imagine if you have an 18-year-old son or daughter and we have an uptick in cases all over the country right now. Sending them into the uncertainty of all that and the risk involved is very difficult for parents,” SDSMT Ivanhoe International Center Director Suzi Aadland said.

Aadland says American students can gain a lot by interacting with international students as they tend to work for international companies in the future.

Copyright 2020 KOTA. All rights reserved.