Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have sued to block Donald Trump’s attempts to eject international students from US universities if their courses move fully online due to coronavirus. 

In a lawsuit filed in the US federal court in Boston, the two prominent US universities jointly requested a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction to stop the policy announced Monday, which said foreign students whose courses were now online only should either leave the country or transfer to a course with in-person teaching to maintain their lawful status. 

“The order came down without notice — its cruelty surpassed only by its recklessness,” said Harvard president Larry Bacow. “It appears that it was designed purposefully to place pressure on colleges and universities to open their on-campus classrooms for in-person instruction this fall, without regard to concerns for the health and safety of students, instructors, and others.”