The second part of your comment isn't really necessary to justify your premise. The entire point of the student visa is that the student's presence is required

The second part of your comment isn't really necessary to justify your premise. The entire point of the student visa is that the student's presence is required in order to realize the educational benefits the University provides. Going online only eliminates that necessity. I don't make any claims about the motives of ICE or the Trump Administration. I also recognize this will be very inconvenient for both the students and the Universities that depend on them. But the reasoning used to justify the regulations is defensible.