I’ll Miss You, AlMutasimbilla

The Misplaced Decision to Deport 250,000 College Students

Unsplash Photo Credit: Naqi Shahid

The Trump administration used COVID-19 to expel certain international students who would not be attending classes in person—which during the pandemic was almost every person from a country of people of color. Author Jeffrey Kass discusses the importance of diversity of people and ideas in education, as well as the untold amount of contributions immigrants, including many of color, have made to this country.

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​Tuesday, January 21, 2020. 3:30 p.m. Pre-COVID. I was writing at one of Denver’s local coffee hangouts, Aviano, while sipping a nice Peruvian medium roast. Occasionally, I glanced up to people watch, seeing if my next story to write about was unfolding.

Seated on the bench next to me was a young man, whom I guessed was in his mid to late 20s. He looked Middle Eastern. Possibly from one of the Gulf States, I thought to myself. Maybe UAE, Kuwait. He was with a friend, also Middle Eastern.
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As a Jew, I’m keenly aware of the conflict between Jews…

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