NEW YORK--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 universities filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston asking for an emergency temporary restraining order on the 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 lawsuit, filed by two of the most elite U.S. universities, is the first to challenge the order that could force tens of thousands of foreign students to leave the country if their schools switch fully to remote learning. Harvard had announced it would hold all classes online in the coming fall term.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement the state was also planning to sue over the rule, which she called "cruel" and "illegal." Her office said it was still working out the details of any potential legal action but that it had been in touch with Harvard and other major colleges and universities in the state to "support their efforts to protect students."
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany suggested on Wednesday that rather than Harvard and MIT suing the Trump administration over the rule, students unable to go to class in person should sue the universities. "Perhaps the better lawsuit would be coming from students who have to pay full tuition with no access to in-person classes to attend," McEnany told a White House news conference.
