ACLU Statement on Trump Administration’s Agreement to Rescind the International Student Ban

WASHINGTON — In a hearing today in Harvard v. Department of Homeland Security, a lawsuit brought by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Trump administration agreed to rescind its harmful international student ban, which would have denied visas to international students at universities and colleges that are exclusively online this fall. Students already in the United States would have needed to transfer schools, leave, or face removal. The American Civil Liberties Union publicly denounced the policy and called for a congressional investigation.

The following is a statement from Andrea Flores, deputy director of immigration policy for the ACLU:

“The administration’s exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic in pursuit of its anti-immigrant agenda knows no bounds. There are over 1 million international students in the U.S., coming from different parts of the globe, whose lives and futures were jeopardized by this cruel and senseless ban. This victory belongs to those who said enough. We are grateful to students and institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and so many others who defended their students and classmates — in the courts, in the streets, and through policy shifts.

“Thankfully, this attack on students is over. But the administration will undoubtedly continue in its failure to protect the people in America by using the pandemic for its hateful agenda to dismantle our immigration system, rather than creating a coordinated response for the future of our nation. These actions continue to do one thing: harm us all. But today, we are reminded that victories are possible — our fight continues.”