The Trump administration had a disagreement with Harvard University and other schools in 2020 over a new immigration rule.
The U.S. government announced that international students studying online-only classes during the COVID-19 pandemic would have to leave the country or face deportation. This rule would have affected thousands of foreign students in the United States.
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) filed a lawsuit against the government. They said the rule was unfair and dangerous, especially since many schools were switching to online classes to protect students from the coronavirus.
After the lawsuit, the Trump administration decided to cancel the rule. This allowed international students to stay in the U.S. even if their classes were fully online.
The case showed the tension between the Trump administration and American universities, especially about immigration and education policies.