WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) The Trump administration has walked back an order that barred foreign students who take only online courses at colleges and universities in the United States amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said on Tuesday.
"ICE is rescinding its rule that threatens to deport international students, a day after we filed our lawsuit. This is why we sue. The rule was illegal and the Trump Administration knew they didn't have a chance. They may try this again. We will be ready," Healey, who led a coalition of state attorneys general who challenged the rule, said via Twitter.
US media reported that the Department of Homeland Security made the announcement during a Federal court hearing in a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Earlier this month, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) announced that international students can no longer live in the United States and take all of their classes online during the pandemic, reversing earlier guidance that gave holders of student visas flexibility during the crisis.
The rule reflected the Trump administration's effort to force schools in the United States to open for the new school year beginning in September.
