Washington
The United States announced on Friday it will not take in any new foreign students seeking online-only study, after rescinding a hotly contested order to expel those already here and preparing for that because of the pandemic.
The policy change was announced in a statement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. US President Donald Trump has made a tough line on immigration a cornerstone of his message and has suspended several kinds of visas for foreigners during the coronavirus crisis.
The original policy change of revoking the visas of foreign students whose classes will move online in the autumn was taken to court by top universities including Harvard and MIT, teachers unions and at least 18 states.
And on July 14 the administration reversed course and rescinded the decision.
That measure had been seen as a move by Trump to put pressure on educational institutions that are adopting a cautious approach to reopening amid the global Covid-19 pandemic.
