Federal judge blocks Trump admin’s 4-year visa cap for international students– www.thecollegefix.com

Trump admin failed to back decision with data, judge ruled

A federal judge ruled Monday to block a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule that would have capped international student visas at four years. The rule was set to take effect the following day.

“The government’s contention that the rule is necessary to safeguard national security borders on the absurd,” U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor wrote.

“It is based almost entirely on a small handful of anecdotes, each of which involved incidents that the new rule would do nothing to prevent or even mitigate,” he wrote.

DHS forged ahead with the rule despite receiving roughly 22,000 public comments pointing out flaws and offering alternative paths.

The judge ruled that in doing so, the department violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires government agencies to act reasonably, respond to public comments logically, and back their decisions with actual data.

The administration argued the rule was vital for national security and fraud prevention, but the court ruled that these rationales failed to withstand meaningful review.