Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts blocked a Trump administration rule that would have shortened visa lengths for international students, academics, and foreign journalists. The rule would have capped academic stays at four years and restricted foreign journalists to 240-day visas.

Students could apply for extensions, but approval was at the discretion of Department of Homeland Security officials, and declined extensions were unappealable. In his 48-page ruling, Judge Saylor wrote that the administration's reasoning was "exceptionally weak," noting officials based the policy "almost entirely on a small handful of anecdotes." He added that the claimed national security benefits "border on the absurd" and that no evidence of widespread fraud existed. Judge Saylor warned the rule would cause "likely catastrophic" damage to the higher education system and the U.S. economy, potentially deterring international students from attending American universities.

The Department of Homeland Security did not confirm if it would appeal the ruling. Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.