Trump admin rescinds in-person teaching requirement for foreign students

Enes Evren/iStockBY: QUINN OWEN, ABC NEWS

(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Tuesday backed down from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement rule change requiring foreign students to attend classes in-person this fall or leave the U.S.

Government attorney Ray Farquhar conceded the move during a court hearing over a lawsuit brought against the rule by Harvard and MIT.

ICE policy now reverts back to guidance the agency issued in March which allows students using F-1 visas for academic study to remain in the country while taking classes entirely online, Massachusetts District Court Judge Allison Burroughs said.

The decision to reverse course came just before the government’s Wednesday deadline for universities to submit a change of plans.

Last week, ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program announced it would resume in-person requirements. It meant a student would be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer schools if their university planned to move course work entirely online. The announcement ignited a firestorm of backlash from across the country with Harvard and MIT among the first to file legal challenges.

Several other lawsuits followed including a challenge from a group of 18 states led by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. New York, California and Washington each filed separate challenges in addition to Johns Hopkins University and the University of California public school network.

Hours before the hearing, the Wall Street Journal reported White House officials were considering backing down from the newly announced change while leaving open the option of applying the rules only to incoming students.

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