USC joins lawsuit challenging U.S. government's rule on int'l students amid pandemic

LOS ANGELES, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The University of Southern California (USC) has joined an amicus brief strongly supporting the lawsuit recently filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to prevent the U.S. government from enforcing a rule that would imperil international students if their universities switch to online-only courses in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said USC President Carol Folt on Wednesday.

The highly rated private research university located in Los Angeles, California, also noted that it is actively considering all other legal options.

"We are also working with our Congressional delegation and fellow universities on legislative and other solutions to this terribly misguided decision," Folt wrote in a tweet.

"USC's vibrant international community is vital to our University and has been since our founding in 1880," said USC in a statement on Wednesday, noting the university is deeply troubled by the updated guidance that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Monday requiring international students to take at least one in-person class to maintain their visa status.

"Issued without warning or broad consultation, the policy could negatively impact countless international students, and restrict research and competitiveness not only here but at research universities across the nation," the statement said.

"Given the broad range of courses being offered, both in person and online, we are optimistic we will be able to support our international students to study in person safely if they wish, but it may take a few days," the university noted.

USC is extremely popular with international students. A total of 12,265 international students were enrolled at USC during the 2019-20 academic year, with around 7,000 from China, according to the university's website.

An analysis of student visa data suggests that in 2018 as many as 1,064,586 international students came to the United States to study at American colleges and universities, according to College Factual, a leading source of data analytics and insights on college outcomes. Enditem