180 colleges, univs join lawsuit opposing move
A total of 180 educational institutions in the United States joined a lawsuit opposing the new visa policy for international students by the Trump administration, according to a report from Xinhua.
An amicus brief document was filed with the Massachusetts federal district court and released to the public on Friday in this regard.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a new visa policy for international students and this move prompted Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to launch a legal action against it.
The 22-page document issued by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration representing 180 higher education institutions showed a nationwide support for rescinding the guidance, the report said.
"ICE's new policy serves only to severely disrupt international students' educational attainment, and our country is worse off for it," said Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration in a statement posted on the group's official website. "This quasi-international student ban represents another unfortunate assault by the administration against immigrants and higher education," she added.
The ICE announced on Monday that students currently in the United States on F-1 and M-1 visas must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status, if their schools' classes are entirely online in the fall semester.
The measure also stipulated that those in violation would risk "immigration consequences, including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings."
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