By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Aug 27 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration has issued a memo for universities that would restrict issuance of certain internship work authorizations for international students as the federal government warned that colleges not complying with the regulations may lose certification to enroll foreign students.
The federal memo dated August 24 said the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which is part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, has “observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorizations that appear to violate regulatory requirements which permit CPT only where the training is an integral part of an established curriculum.”
“Failure to comply with SEVP regulations may result in an institution losing certification to enroll foreign students,” the memo said.
It resulted in some schools, including the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley pausing certain applications for work authorizations for international students.
“UCLA has paused certain Curricular Practical Training authorizations while it reviews recent federal guidance and determines next steps,” a UCLA spokesperson said in an email.
UC Berkeley’s international office said that the August 24 memo was “more narrow in focus, more direct, and includes content that is more restrictive in nature.” The federal government had also issued an earlier memo in mid-August.
The UC Berkeley international office said it is extending the pause for certain work authorizations for international students for “the foreseeable future.” It said it will continue processing “degree-requirement” CPT as normal and would resume processing “Doctoral Dissertation and Master’s Thesis Research CPT.”
The office said it would consult with legal experts to develop new processes that align with new federal requirements.
Trump has targeted universities with multiple probes and federal funding threats over a range of issues. These include pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s assault on Gaza, diversity initiatives, admissions practices, climate programs and transgender policies.
Rights advocates have raised free speech, academic freedom and due process concerns.
Separately, on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department alleged admissions practices at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services were biased in favor of Black and Hispanic applicants, citing findings of a probe as the Trump administration continued its diversity crackdown.
“We are disappointed by the DOJ’s conclusions, which we believe are incorrect,” the university said, saying its medical school’s admissions policies were in compliance with law and were not discriminatory.
The Justice Department has alleged similar bias at other schools and said it aims to engage in settlement talks. If those efforts fail, the department will file suit, it said.
The Trump administration has also revoked visas of student protesters over pro-Palestinian protests that it casts as antisemitic and sympathetic to extremists.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say their opposition to Israel’s assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories does not amount to antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights is not the same as support for extremism.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington)
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