Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Rule Limiting Stays for Foreign Students, Journalists

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from implementing a new rule that would have limited how long foreign students and journalists could remain in the United States without applying for extensions, according to the Guardian.

US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, sitting in Boston, ruled in favor of a coalition of unions and higher education advocacy groups that had challenged the measure, the Guardian reported. The decision came a day before the Department of Homeland Security's rule was scheduled to take effect.

The blocked rule, described by the Guardian as imposing "substantial restrictions," would have changed how long foreign students and journalists could stay in the US, requiring them to apply for extensions rather than being permitted to remain for the duration of their academic programs or work assignments under prior policy.

The lawsuit was brought by a coalition that included unions and organizations representing higher education institutions, according to the report. Details of the specific legal grounds cited in Judge Saylor's ruling, as well as the Trump administration's response, were not fully outlined in the available reporting.

The case represents the latest in a series of legal challenges to Trump administration immigration policies affecting international students and visa holders. Further proceedings or an appeal by the Department of Homeland Security may follow, though no such action had been confirmed at the time of this report.