US Govt. Drops Plan To Deport Foreign Students In Online-Only Classes

The US govt. has rescinded its policy that would bar foreign students who only take online courses from staying in the US, a federal judge announced Tuesday in Boston.

The decision comes after Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that students at schools offering only online courses due to the pandemic would need to either leave the US or transfer schools.

According to the source, the White House is now focused on having the rule apply only to new students, rather than students already in the US. The White House declined to comment on an ongoing policy process.

In the last week, students had expressed frustration and concern over their next steps, as universities and colleges announced decisions to move all courses online. Among those universities are Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Rice University President David Leebron, speaking on CNN as the announcement was made, said he's "delighted" at the decision to reverse course.

"We thought the original rules that were suggested were cruel and misguided and didn't serve our universities, didn't serve our students, and frankly didn't serve our country," Leebron said.

Students had already been bracing for the possibility of having to suddenly depart the US or transfer to a university offering a mix of online and in-person courses.

"If a school isn't going to open or if they're going to be 100% online, then we wouldn't expect people to be here for that," acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told CNN's Brianna Keilar last week.