WASHINGTON – In the face of backsliding and lawsuits, the Trump administration is rescinding its directive that prevents international students from staying in the United States while taking classes alone online.
United States District Court Judge Allison Dale Burroughs in Massachusetts announced Tuesday that the government and the plaintiffs had reached a resolution in a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and MIT.
The government was to rescind its July 6 rule that foreign students on F-1 and M-1 visas would need to take at least some courses in person to legally stay in the US in the fall semester in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia had sued the administration for the requirement.
The reversal comes in the face of strong criticism from higher education institutions and legislators from both major parties, who argued that the new rules would be detrimental to students and undermine their opportunities and the value of education.
The White House declined to comment. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lawmakers began reacting soon after the announcement.
“This is excellent news for more than a million international students studying in the United States and for all American students, institutions, and companies benefiting from their contributions,” said Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., In Twitter
“The Trump Administration appears to have seen the damage from its July 6 directive, but it should not take widespread demands and protests to get them to do their job,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, said in a statement. In the midst of an economic and public health crisis, we don’t need the federal government to alarm Americans or waste everyone’s time and resources on dangerous political decisions. “
Previous restrictions by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service were seen by some as an attempt to strengthen colleges and universities to reopen, even as coronavirus cases are on the rise in many parts of the country.
The Trump administration has made numerous efforts to limit immigration during the COVID-19 crisis, including suspending the processing of work visas such as the H-1B and green cards issued outside the country until the end of 2020.
This is a developing story, check for updates.
Geoff Bennett contributed
