This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
On July 7, 2020, Harvard University President Larry Bacow described the Trump administration's policy requiring international students to take in-person classes in the US as 'cruel' and 'reckless.'
According to the policy, international students will not be allowed to take online-only courses, even if they are living on campus. This affects approximately 5,000 international students at Harvard.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has maintained that international students cannot take online-only courses, citing strict visa requirements. However, the agency has provided some flexibility for hybrid models, which combine online and in-person classes.
Harvard and MIT have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the policy violates the Administrative Procedures Act. The universities claim that they are in an 'untenable situation' and must either proceed with their plans to operate fully or largely online or attempt to provide in-person learning.
The lawsuit also highlights the challenges faced by international students, who may not be able to transfer to universities providing on-campus instruction or return to their home countries due to various reasons such as cost, danger, or impracticality.
Cornell University has expressed strong opposition to the policy and is joining Harvard and MIT's lawsuit as a friend of the court.
