“Because higher education institutions do not exist in a vacuum, an outbreak at one poses a threat to the health and safety of everyone in the surrounding community,” the universities said in court papers. Although the government has not yet responded in court, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, defended the administration’s actions at a news conference earlier this week. “You don’t get a visa for taking online classes from, let’s say, University of Phoenix. Immigrant advocates say that together with delays in processing visas as a result of the pandemic, the new visa rules, which must still be finalized this month, might discourage many overseas students from attending American universities, where they often pay full tuition. Then, ICE said students holding F-1 visas could attend remote classes while retaining their visa status, and made clear that this arrangement was “in effect for the duration of the emergency,” the universities said.

Source: International New York Times July 10, 2020 16:07 UTC