3 years ago
Harvard and MIT have sued the US government in federal court on Wednesday, seeking to have the U.S. Immigration Customs And Enforcement reverse its decision on international students. Just two days ago, federal officials barred international students from attending U.S. colleges that go online-only this fall.
The federal policy announced Monday means that college students studying in the U.S. on F-1 visas will not be permitted to stay in the U.S. or reenter the country if their school opted for entirely remote learning in the fall semester.
According to Harvard and MIT, the policy would effectively strand hundreds of thousands of international students studying in the U.S. and muddy plans for a return to class amid the coronavirus pandemic. They say the move "reflects an effort by the federal government to force universities to reopen in-person classes," regardless of what's best for community safety.
"The effect — and perhaps even the goal — is to create as much chaos for universities and international students as possible," the universities said.
The lawsuit names ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, among the defendants, as well as acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf. On Tuesday, ICE officials defended the decision.
"Through this guidance, DHS is seeking to maximize flexibility for students to continue their studies," the agency said, "while minimizing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 by not admitting students into the country who do not need to be present to attend classes in-person."
This is not the first time that Harvard has butted heads with the Trump administration over its response to the coronavirus. The university announced Monday that all course instruction will be delivered online during the coming school year — a decision Trump criticized as "ridiculous."
"I think it's an easy way out," he said, "and they ought to be ashamed of themselves."
Trump has been pushing hard for schools to reopen in the fall, despite a surge in the spread of the coronavirus that has seen a number of states reporting record caseloads recently. Across the country, the U.S. is nearing 3 million confirmed cases — the world's worst outbreak by a massive margin.
In the complaint, MIT said close to 4,000 of its students study in the U.S. on F-1 visas, while Harvard said it has nearly 5,000.
