Lawsuits seek to block new rule

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia sued immigration services on Monday in an attempt to block a new rule that would revoke the visas of foreign students taking classes entirely online at US universities and colleges in the fall.

The lawsuit states that the rule could force many students to return to their home countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, where their ability to study would be severely compromised.

Maura Healey, the Massachusetts attorney general, said, "The Trump administration didn't even attempt to explain the basis for this senseless rule, which forces schools to choose between keeping their international students enrolled and protecting the health and safety of their campuses."

She made the comments in a statement announcing the lawsuit, which accuses the administration of violating the Administrative Procedure Act.

The action was filed in the US District Court in Boston.

In court filings, the states and universities describe the regulation as a politically motivated attempt by the Trump administration to force universities to hold physical classes this fall, even though many of them have announced they will operate largely online because of health concerns.

California filed its own lawsuit last week after Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology went to court seeking to block the rule.

Arguments in the Harvard and MIT case were scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, also in the District Court in Boston.

Many universities are planning to offer a mix of online and physical classes during the pandemic to protect the health of staff members, students and people in nearby communities.