Trump Drops Appeal on International Students Policy

Trump backs down in legal fight over canceling international students’ status records for now

Former President Donald Trump has backed down in a legal fight over his administration's attempt to cancel the legal status of international students if their universities shifted to online-only classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration had already reversed this policy, but Trump’s legal team continued to defend it in court until recently dropping the appeal.

The Trump-era policy, announced in July 2020 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would have forced international students to leave the U.S. or transfer schools if their classes went fully online. The move faced immediate backlash from universities and businesses, leading to lawsuits. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were among the first to challenge the policy in court, and several states also joined legal efforts against it.

The Biden administration rescinded the policy shortly after taking office in 2021, but Trump’s lawyers had kept the appeal alive. The case was pending before the Supreme Court until Trump’s legal team withdrew it. Legal experts suggest this signals the end of the dispute, as no other parties were pushing to revive the policy.

The initial policy had caused widespread concern among international students, who feared deportation or disruption to their education. Universities argued that the rule was arbitrary and harmful, especially during a public health crisis when many institutions had to adapt to remote learning. The reversal by Trump’s team effectively closes the case, ensuring that similar measures cannot be enforced retroactively.