 |
| U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing schools across the country to re-open in the fall.(Photo by= Reuters via AOL) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, seeking to block a new rule that would bar foreign students from remaining in the United States if their universities move all courses online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The two elite universities were the first to file a lawsuit in federal court in Boston asking for an emergency temporary restraining order on the new directive issued by the government on Monday. “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,” Harvard President Lawrence Bacow wrote in a statement addressed to the Harvard community.
The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Judge Allison Burroughs, appointed by former President Barack Obama, is assigned to hear the case.The announcement blindsided academic institutions grappling with the logistical challenges of safely resuming classes as the coronavirus pandemic surge in the US, especially among young people.
Students, professors, and universities were scrambling to figure out exactly who would be affected by the rule and come up with ways to comply without having to leave the country. On Twitter, professors across the country offered to teach outdoor in-person independent study courses for affected students.
