The Trump administration’s plan to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students has been blocked by a US judge.
Earlier on Friday, the Ivy League school filed a complaint in a federal court in Boston saying the government’s action violated the First Amendment and would have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders”.
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,” Harvard said in the lawsuit.
Now, US District Judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed by then president Barack Obama, has issued a temporary restraining order freezing the Department of Homeland Security’s policy for two weeks.
The order stops the government from revoking Harvard’s certification in the student and exchange visitor programme, which allows the university to host international students with visas to study in the US.
The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.
Harvard enrolled almost 6,800 foreign students in its current school year at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students, and they come from more than 100 countries.
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The department announced the action on Thursday, accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on its premises.
It also accused the university of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), contending the school had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.
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Earlier this month, Harvard President Alan Garber said the university had made changes to its governance over the past year and a half, including a broad strategy to combat antisemitism.
He added the school would not budge on its “its core, legally-protected principles” over fears of retaliation.
Harvard said it will respond at a later time to allegations first raised by House Republicans about coordination with the CCP.
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The threat to Harvard’s international enrollment stems from a 16 April request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that the university provide information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.
Ms Noem said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within 72 hours.
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Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.
The suit is separate from Harvard’s earlier one challenging more than $2bn in federal cuts imposed by the Republican administration.
