Harvard and MIT Sue ICE and the DHS Over Changes to International Student Visas
Two prestigious institutions, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have jointly filed a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeking a temporary restraining order blocking the enforcement of new rules for international students on visas.
On Monday, ICE announced that students on F-1 and M-1 visas would not be allowed to stay in the U.S. if their courses will be entirely online in the coming semester—a move many colleges have made to ensure safety amid the ongoing pandemic. "Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status," the announcement read. "If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings."
In court documents, Harvard and MIT said of the new rules, "By all appearances, ICE’s decision reflects an effort by the federal government to force universities to reopen in-person classes," later adding, "The effect—and perhaps even the goal—is to create as much chaos for universities and international students as possible."
MIT president L. Rafael Reif announced the suit to students in a letter. "Our international students now have many questions—about their visas, their health, their families and their ability to continue working toward an MIT degree," Reif wrote. "Unspoken, but unmistakable, is one more question: Am I welcome? At MIT, the answer, unequivocally, is yes."
Said Harvard president Larry Bacow in a statement, "The order came down without notice—its cruelty surpassed only by its recklessness. It appears that it was designed purposefully to place pressure on colleges and universities to open their on-campus classrooms for in-person instruction this fall, without regard to concerns for the health and safety of students, instructors, and others."
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