美联邦法官叫停留学生与外国记者签证新规US Judge Blocks Trump Administration Rule Capping Student and Journalist Visas
美国波士顿联邦地区法院法官丹尼斯·塞勒（F. Dennis Saylor）周一发布临时禁令，阻止了特朗普政府原定于周二生效的签证新规。该项被冻结的行政规定计划取消长年实行的“身份持续期”（duration of status）制度，对国际学生、访问学者及外国记者的留美居留期限设置严格上限。根据塞勒法官的裁决，在高校联盟与工会提起的诉讼得出最终结果之前，持有F、J及I字类签证的人员仍可在其既定学业或工作任期内合法居留。 塞勒法官在裁决书中批评国土安全部提出的国家安全理由“依据极度薄弱”且“近乎荒谬”，认为该部门几乎完全依赖少数无法被新规防范的个案。法官指出，强行设立停留期限将削弱美国对全球优秀生源的吸引力，可能给美国高等教育体系及整体经济带来严重冲击，同时频繁的签证续签要求还容易导致针对批评性新闻报道的行政滥权。该诉讼案定于10月2日举行下一次听证会，特朗普政府预计将就这项临时冻结裁决提出上诉。
US Federal District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston issued a preliminary order on Monday temporarily blocking a Trump administration rule that would have imposed strict caps on visa stays for international students, visiting scholars, and foreign journalists ahead of its planned Tuesday implementation. The ruling halts the elimination of the long-standing "duration of status" policy, allowing holders of F, J, and I visas to continue residing in the United States for the full length of their academic programs or professional assignments while a lawsuit brought by university groups and labor unions proceeds. Judge Saylor rejected the Department of Homeland Security's national security justification as "exceptionally weak" and wrote that it "borders on the absurd," finding that the agency relied on an unsubstantiated handful of anecdotes. The judge warned that capping visa durations risks inflicting catastrophic damage on US higher education and the economy by deterring international talent, while also opening the door to administrative abuse and retaliatory non-renewals against foreign reporters producing critical coverage. The next court hearing is set for October 2, and the Trump administration is expected to appeal the freeze.
01法官叫停签证新规并质疑行政依据Judge Halts Visa Restrictions and Questions Administrative Rationale
在针对国土安全部新规的裁决中，由前总统乔治·W·布什任命的塞勒法官指出，该部门试图以此规解决的问题与政策措施本身之间存在“极度微弱”的联系。国土安全部此前声称原有的“身份持续期”政策导致持签人员长期滞留并在不同项目间频繁转学，但塞勒法官在裁定中反驳称，该机构未能证明强制设定生硬的时间限制能够有效解决这些问题。
In evaluating the Department of Homeland Security's policy, Judge F. Dennis Saylor, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, determined that the connection between the proposed restrictions and the problems they purported to solve was "exceptionally attenuated." While the agency argued that the long-standing "duration of status" framework permitted foreign nationals to linger in the United States and hop between different academic programs, Judge Saylor found that officials failed to demonstrate how establishing blunt duration caps would effectively address those concerns.
塞勒法官进一步指出，行政部门建立这一案由所依据的少数轶事证据，涉及的事件均无法通过这项新规得到预防或缓解。此外，法官批评国土安全部忽视了国际生源流失对美国教育体系的潜在冲击，认定当局在缺乏充分依据的情况下推进政策，不仅无法实现既定的安全目标，还可能引发针对政府批评者的滥权拒签行为。
Judge Saylor also criticized the agency for building its case almost entirely on a narrow set of anecdotal incidents, none of which would have been prevented or mitigated by the new limits. The judge rejected the department's dismissal of a potential collapse in foreign student enrollments as inconsequential, concluding that the administration advanced an ungrounded measure that failed to meet its stated security rationale while creating substantial opportunities for retaliatory visa denials against critics.
02新规核心限制与原有制度的维持Key Provisions of the Blocked Rule Versus Existing Policy
国土安全部于7月发布的最终规定计划废除原有的“身份持续期”制度。根据旧有政策，持有F类学生签证、J类访问学者签证以及I类外国媒体签证的人员，其在美停留期限直接挂钩于学业项目或工作任期的实际长度，无需定期申请行政居留延期。
The final rule published by the Department of Homeland Security in July sought to dismantle the long-standing "duration of status" framework. Under the pre-existing system, individuals holding F student visas, J exchange visitor visas, and I media visas are permitted to stay in the United States for the entire duration of their academic programs or professional assignments without needing recurring immigration extensions.
被法官叫停的新规对外国记者的居留期限设定了最长240天的上限，且若续签申请被拒则无法上诉；针对不含港澳地区的中国护照持有者，该停留期限更被大幅压缩至仅有90天。在教育领域，新规将国际学生的居留期限制为最长4年，同时严格限制转学、更换专业及同等学历的二次学位攻读，并将毕业后的宽限期由60天减半至30天。
Under the enjoined restrictions, foreign journalists faced a maximum stay of 240 days with no administrative right of appeal if a renewal was denied. For Chinese passport holders, excluding individuals from Hong Kong and Macau, the allowable stay was capped at just 90 days. For international students, the rule would have established a hard four-year limit on stays, imposed stringent curbs on academic transfers, program changes, and pursuing second degrees at the same educational level, and cut the post-graduation grace period from 60 days to 30 days.
03高等教育与新闻界反应及后续诉讼走向Higher Education and Press Reactions, and Legal Next Steps
这项诉讼由高校联盟与工会发起。美国校园的数据显示，印度与中国学生占全美留学生总数的一半以上，其中印度在2024-25年度以363,019人位居首位，中国则以265,919人紧随其后且较前一年下降4%。去年秋季全美大学首次入学的国际新生人数已下滑17%，各界担忧签证居留设限将加剧生源流失，进而冲击高校运营与整体经济。
The legal challenge brought by a coalition of university groups and labor unions addresses mounting financial and enrollment pressures facing American academic institutions. India and China represent more than half of all international students in the United States, with India serving as the largest source at 363,019 students in 2024-25 and China following with 265,919 students, marking a 4 percent decline from the previous academic year. With US campuses already recording a 17 percent drop in first-time international enrollments last autumn, educational organizations warned that rigid stay limits would accelerate the decline in global enrollment and severely impact academic operations and the wider economy.
新闻自由倡导团体同样对原拟推行的新规提出批评。新闻自由基金会倡导副总监亚当·罗斯表示，强迫记者每隔数月重新申请签证将助长基于报道内容的拒签行为，并压制自由报道的能力。该诉讼案已排定于10月2日举行下一次法庭听证会，特朗普政府预计将对临时冻结裁决提出上诉。
Press freedom advocates also voiced strong concerns regarding the proposed restrictions on media visas. Adam Rose, deputy director of advocacy at the New York-based Freedom of the Press Foundation, stated that forcing foreign reporters to seek renewals every few months could facilitate content-based visa rejections and chill the ability to report freely. The lawsuit is scheduled for its next court hearing on October 2, while the Trump administration is expected to pursue an appeal against the preliminary injunction.
