TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RESCINDS RULE ON FOREIGN STUDENTS AMID PRESSURE FROM COLLEGES

On July 14, 2020, the Trump administration has agreed to rescinda directive that would have barred international college students from the U.S. if their colleges offered classes entirely online in the fall semester. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) rule change, released last week, announced that those on F-1 and M-1 student visas would need to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online when they reopen in the fall.

If they do not, they could face deportation proceedings. A number of colleges and universities had already announced plans to offer online-only classes because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency's July 6 announcement was met with immediate backlash. The swift turnaround by the Department of Homeland Security came during a federal district court hearing about a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and MIT seeking a temporary injunction of the new guidelines. Many colleges, universities, municipalities and tech companies expressed their support for the legal challenge in their own court filings.