Source: New York Times
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) sued the Trump Administration over the new international student rule. ICE announced this new rule on Monday, stating that international students will have to leave the country unless they take some in-person courses this fall. ICE said international students should transfer to another university that provides in-person classes or risk losing their F-1 and M-1 visas.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is the institution that sets the rules for student visas, but SEVP is run by ICE, the agency that enforces immigration law. SEVP stated that foreign students who fail to follow the new rule could face “immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said “If they’re not going to be a student or they’re going to be 100% online, then they have no basis to be here.” However, these students pay full tuition and would be fully participating in their classes even if all of their courses were online.
Harvards’ president, Lawrence S. Bacow said that this policy is intended to force universities to hold in person classes “without regard to concerns for the health and safety of students, instructors and others.”
After this, ICE rescinded this policy.