Donald Trump Reverses Policy On International Students

Donald Trump has reversed his controversial new policy on international students following widespread criticism and a flurry of lawsuits challenging the rule. On Tuesday, the Trump administration shifted gears and announced it would abandon plans to force thousands of foreign students out of the U.S.

U.S. officials announced on July 6 that international students that had transferred to online-only classes due to the coronavirus pandemic would have to leave the country unless they would move to a university with at least some face-to-face instruction. The new policy blindsided universities and colleges across the U.S. that were trying to balance the need to return to classes and the rising cases of COVID-19 cases in many states.

This week, around 200 universities and colleges challenged the policy following the several other lawsuits filed against the new rule. Among the universities that filed a suit were Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some big companies also filed briefs opposing the policy.

On Tuesday, the administration announced it would drop the plan amid the lawsuits. In a court hearing on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts said the government had already reached an agreement with Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Based on the settlement, the government will reverse course and drop the policy to reinstate the previous status quo.

Tens of thousands of international students are studying in U.S. colleges and universities. With many of these schools depending on revenue from international students, the universities argued the new policy was illegal and would badly affect their institutions.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who also filed a separate lawsuit against the rule, described Trump’s move as “arbitrary,” saying it would only put the health of students at risk. “In the midst of an economic and public health crisis, we don’t need the federal government alarming Americans or wasting everyone’s time and resources with dangerous policy decisions,” he said.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said Trump still sought to issue a new regulation in the next few weeks addressing whether international students could stay in the U.S. if their classes move online.