NEW YORK, July 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) –– Harvard and MIT asked a court to block an order by President Donald Trump’s administration
threatening the visas of foreign students whose entire courses have
moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The universities’ lawsuit was in response to an announcement Monday
by the US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) that the affected
students must leave the country or transfer to a school offering
in-person tuition.
“We will pursue this case vigorously so that our international
students, and international students at institutions across the
country, can continue their studies without the threat of
deportation,” Harvard President Lawrence Bacow said in a statement.
Trump is pushing universities and schools to fully open when the
new academic year starts in September despite the US registering
record COVID-19 cases.
ICE said in its announcement the State Department would not issue
visas to students enrolled in programs that are fully online for the
fall semester and such students would not be allowed to enter the
country.
Universities with a hybrid system of in-person and online classes
will have to show that foreign students are taking as many in-person
classes as possible, to maintain their status.
The measure was seen as a move by the White House to put pressure
on educational institutions that are adopting a cautious approach to
reopening amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“The order came down without notice — its cruelty surpassed only
by its recklessness,” Bacow said.
He added it was made “without regard to concerns for the health and
safety of students, instructors and others.”
The universities say in their lawsuit that the order would harm
students “immensely,” both personally and financially.
It describes the order as “arbitrary and capricious” and says it
threw US higher education “into chaos.”
There were more than one million international students in the US for
the 2018-19 academic year, according to the Institute of International
Education (IIE).
The plaintiffs ask that the court issue a temporary restraining
order and “permanent injunctive relief” preventing the policy being
enforced.
They also ask that the order be declared unlawful, that their legal
costs are covered, and that they receive any other relief that the
court deems appropriate.
The lawsuit, filed in Boston, lists the defendants as ICE and the
United States Department of Homeland Security.
The US posted a daily high of 60,209 new coronavirus infections on
Tuesday, Johns Hopkins University said, and the country topped three
million cases on Wednesday.
The disease has claimed more than 131,000 lives across America.
Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their
plans for the fall semester but Harvard has said all its classes for
the 2020-21 academic year will be conducted online “with rare
exceptions.”
Some 40 percent of undergraduates will be allowed to return to
campus, but their instruction will be conducted remotely.
It says packed classrooms endanger the health of students and teachers.
Trump has branded the decision “ridiculous” as he takes a bullish
approach to reopening the country ahead of November’s presidential
vote, when he seeks reelection.
While cracking down on immigration is one of his key issues, Trump
has taken a particularly hard stance on foreigners since the health
crisis began.
In June, he froze until 2021 the issuing of green cards — which
offer permanent US resident status — and some work visas,
particularly those used in the technology sector. –NNN-AGENCIES
