After Harvard and MIT, Johns Hopkins sues Trump administration over new rule for international students

Photo courtesy: Facebook/The Johns Hopkins University
Photo courtesy: Facebook/The Johns Hopkins University

The list of universities unhappy with the new Trump administration rule, requiring all international students whose courses have shifted entirely online to leave the country, is growing. 

Following in the footsteps of Harvard and MIT, Johns Hopkins University is the latest to sue the Trump administration over its “cruel” decision not to allow foreign students to take online-only courses this fall semester.

The university filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday, arguing against the order which would deny accommodation for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic to nearly 5,000 international students at the university and thousands more across the country.

Also read: 30 US Senators, 136 Congressmen urge Trump administration to reverse order on international students

Johns Hopkins also said that the decision to send international students back to their home countries if they don’t enroll for in-person classes, has “suddenly and unexpectedly” plunged the university into chaos. 

Johns Hopkins has sought a temporary restraining order against the proposal, saying that it is “arbitrary and capricious”, unlawful, and a reversal of earlier guidance upon which months of careful planning is based.