Expansion of Lawsuits by Universities and State Governments Against Trump’s International Student Restrictions

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Following more than 200 universities taking direct and indirect legal actions against the U.S. government's restrictions on student visas, 17 state governments have also joined the lawsuit battle, AP News and The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 13th (local time).

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to the NYT, 17 states including Massachusetts and Washington DC filed a lawsuit on the same day at the Boston Federal District Court to block the Trump administration's immigration measure that allows the cancellation of visas for foreign students taking only online classes this fall semester.

This is in response to the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement on the 6th of revised regulations under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which declared that international students holding F-1 student visas and M-1 vocational training visas attending schools conducting classes solely online can no longer remain in the United States.

Maurer Healey, Attorney General of Massachusetts, said, "The Trump administration has not even attempted to explain the basis for this reckless regulation," adding, "Universities have been forced into a situation where they must choose between retaining foreign students and the health and safety of their campuses."

Prior to these 17 states, California and Johns Hopkins University filed separate lawsuits last week. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were the first to file for a preliminary injunction at the Boston Federal Court to halt the enforcement of ICE's new regulations.

In addition, seven other Ivy League universities including Yale, as well as Stanford University, Duke University, and 59 other universities submitted amicus briefs supporting Harvard and MIT the day before.

Twenty-six cities and counties, including New York City, also expressed concerns that the 'expulsion of international students' could severely impact local economies. New York City stated that international students contribute approximately $3 billion annually to the local economy.

Despite ongoing opposition, ICE stated in a brief submitted to the court ahead of the first hearing on the 14th that it has sufficiently accommodated universities by allowing students to maintain their status as long as they take at least one in-person class.

If the court does not suspend ICE's new regulations, all U.S. universities must notify ICE by the 15th whether they will conduct the fall semester entirely online or not.