UPDATE: According to the Associated Press, the Trump administration has rescinded the rule that would have required international students to transfer schools or leave the country if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Northern Arizona University is one of several schools to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration. They’re trying to stop a new rule that bans international students from attending colleges in the U.S. if they take online classes. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.
In an e-mail to faculty and staff this week, NAU President Rita Cheng called the decision by Immigration and Customs Enforcement “reckless.” NAU plans to offer in-person instruction in the fall, but she says the agency is trying to force colleges and universities to stay open amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and prevent flexibility to respond to changing conditions. NAU enrolls about 1,300 students from outside the U-S, a little over 4% of its total student population.
Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology initially filed suit against the administration and several other legal challenges have followed. Many colleges and universities say international students are vital to their communities and the loss of tuition would be devastating.
ICE announced in a surprise move last week it would stop issuing visas to international students enrolled at schools that are fully online.
