Trump administration reverses ruling on foreign students enrolled in online college courses

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 14, 2020

The Trump administration blinked Tuesday, rescinding a rule that would have made it necessary for international students to leave the United States if their colleges offer online classes only this fall.

Due to the pandemic, many colleges are planning to do just that. The administration’s initial plan would have left those students stranded and would have cut tuition dollars at U.S. schools.

Oregon was one of the 17 states and the District of Columbia that sued on Monday to stop the new federal rule, which threatening to bar hundreds of thousands of international students from studying in the United States. Based on the most recent data, more than 13,000 of those students are in Oregon, most of them likely on F-1 and M-1 visas.

On Tuesday, the administration backed down.

Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, speaking Monday, said Oregon had joined the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Boston because the ruling was another attempt to curb immigration by the White House.

“This administration has repeatedly looked for ways to punish immigrants, and this is just another cruel example,” Rosenblum said. Except this time, they are targeting students who are in Oregon to receive an education and give back to our communities.”