Judge halts Trump limits on foreign students and journalists

WASHINGTON (MNTV) — A U.S. federal judge has blocked a Trump administration policy that would sharply limit how long foreign students and journalists can remain in the United States, warning it risked harming education, research, and press freedom.

District Judge Dennis Saylor issued a preliminary injunction Monday, a day before the Department of Homeland Security rules were to take effect, halting them until at least an Oct. 2 hearing. 

The case was brought by a coalition of unions representing universities, educators, and journalists. Under the rules, international students — who can now generally stay for the length of their academic programs — would face a four-year cap and have to seek federal extensions. 

Foreign journalists’ permitted stays would be cut from as long as five years to 240 days, about eight months, with Chinese journalists limited to 90 days.

Saylor questioned whether the administration had justified such sweeping change, noting the existing system had let millions of students and researchers contribute to advances in science and medicine while generating major economic benefits. 

He was especially critical of the discretion the rules would hand officials: extension requests could be denied with no meaningful appeal, which he warned created “a serious risk of abuse,” particularly against journalists whose work is critical of the administration.

 The court also rejected the government’s national-security rationale as thinly supported, describing some of its examples as bordering on the absurd. 

The ruling adds to a series of court decisions checking the administration’s efforts to restrict immigration.