The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has rescinded his government’s policy to bar international students who only take online courses from staying in the United States, CNN reported Tuesday night.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week announced that international students who are pursuing degrees in the U.S. would have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses.
The new visa rule received wide criticisms. While many kicked against what they considered an inhumane immigration policy, some saw it as an effort to pressure universities into reopening despite daily rise in coronavirus cases in the U.S.
Two reputable universities in the United States, Harvard and M.I.T., filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the directive. According to CNN, one person familiar with the matter said the White House has felt the blowback to the proposal and that some inside the West Wing believe it was poorly conceived and executed.
