Harvard and MIT files lawsuit against Trump administration to defend international students

Universities in the United States refuse to endorse Donald Trump's migration policy. Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) asked a federal court Wednesday, July 8 to block the decision of the US administration to revoke visas for foreign students whose courses will remain virtual in September

"We will defend this case with determination to allow our foreign students - and foreign students from all universities in the country - to continue their studies without risk of being expelled," said Harvard President Lawrence Bacow in a tweet announcing this action.

“We will pursue this case vigorously so that our international students — and international students at institutions across the country — can continue their studies without the threat of deportation.” - President Bacow (5/6)

Donald Trump's government announced on Monday that it would not allow foreign students to stay in the United States if their universities decided to teach online only when school started due to a pandemic.

Tuesday, the American president attacked virulently at the prestigious university of Boston, describing as "ridiculous" his decision to maintain all the online courses at the start of the school year due to pandemic.

Harvard has nearly 5,000 international students out of a total of some 23,000 students. MIT, whose campus is close to that of Harvard in Boston, counts nearly a third of foreign students.

An "arbitrary and capricious" decision

According to the complaint filed Wednesday in the Boston federal court, which targets the Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Customs Police (ICE) and their officials, the decision of the Trump government has "plunged Harvard and MIT - and all higher education institutions in the United States - in chaos. "

It was taken "without taking into account the health of students, teachers, administrative staff and their environment" and leaves "hundreds of thousands of foreign students without the possibility of studying in the United States," they write. .

To be able to stay, the Trump government is asking them to be transferred to establishments that will resume face-to-face teaching, "but a few weeks before the start of the school year, most of the students cannot."

According to them, the Trump government's decision is "arbitrary and capricious" and "ignores important aspects of the problem". It is "an attempt to force universities to resume face-to-face teaching", regardless of the health risks involved. They are asking the court to prevent it from coming into force.

With AFP

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