US judge blocks Trump’s ‘absurd’ visa caps for students, journalists
A US federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a new visa cap for international students, visiting scholars and foreign journalists, saying the Trump administration’s national security justification “borders on the absurd”. Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston said the rationale for the restriction was “exceptionally weak”, and the connection between the rule and the problems it purported to…
A US federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's new visa cap for international students, visiting scholars, and foreign journalists on Monday, stating that the national security justification was "absurd". Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston called the rationale "exceptionally weak" and the connection between the rule and its purported purpose "exceptionally attenuated".
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had argued that the "duration of status" policy allowed people to linger and switch programs. Saylor criticized the department for treating a potential decline in foreign enrollment as inconsequential, warning that the cap would make the US a less attractive destination for top students.
The policy would limit Chinese students, excluding those from Hong Kong and Macau, to just 90 days in the US. The judge also noted that the possibilities for abuse were "rampant" and that the visas of foreign journalists critical of the government might not be renewed.
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