Communications of the ACM

Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration in federal court on Wednesday, seeking to block a directive that would strip foreign college students of their visas if the courses they take this fall are entirely online.

University leaders and immigrant advocates called the new policy cruel and reckless, with several education groups saying they planned to join the legal battle. The Massachusetts attorney general vowed to support Harvard and M.I.T.'s efforts to block the rules, which were announced Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Massachusetts is home to thousands of international students who should not fear deportation or be forced to put their health and safety at risk in order to advance their education," Maura Healey, the attorney general, said in a statement. "This decision from ICE is cruel, it's illegal, and we will sue to stop it."