Dozens more U.S. schools join lawsuit against rule on foreign students

About 60 U.S. universities on Sunday filed a brief supporting a lawsuit by the two most eminent institutions in the country, seeking to block a Trump administration rule barring foreign students from remaining in the country if educational institutions don't hold in-person classes this fall.

The lawsuit was filed by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Wednesday in a federal court in Boston, two days after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued new rules that will practically rescind foreign students' study visa if the universities they attend continue to only hold online classes this fall.

The so-called amicus brief – a supporting document submitted by interested parties – was filed by 59 U.S. universities on Sunday, including seven other Ivy League schools.

The universities said they relied on federal guidance, which was to remain "in effect for the duration of the emergency," allowing international students to attend all-online courses during the pandemic, according to the amicus brief.

"The emergency persists, yet the government's policy has suddenly and drastically changed, throwing amici's preparations into disarray and causing significant harm and turmoil," they added.

"We are taking this action for a simple reason: to do what we can to make sure the DHS policy receives judicial scrutiny," wrote Peter Salovey, president of Yale University, in a letter to the school community. "This ill-considered decision by the federal government must not go unchallenged."

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