Judge halts another Trump administration effort to block foreign students from attending Harvard
A federal judge on Monday blocked another effort by the Trump administration to keep international students from attending Harvard University, granting a second preliminary injunction in the case.
Video above: Judge recently extended order suspending Trump's block on Harvard's incoming foreign students
The order from U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston preserves the ability of foreign students to travel to the U.S. for study at Harvard while the case is decided.
President Donald Trump has sought to cut off Harvard鈥檚 enrollment of foreign students as part of a pressure campaign seeking changes to governance and policies at the Ivy League school. Administration officials also have cut more than $2.6 billion in research grants, ended federal contracts and threatened to revoke the tax-exempt status for the school Trump has derided as a hotbed of liberalism.
Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security in May after the agency withdrew the school鈥檚 certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork for their visas. The action would have forced Harvard鈥檚 roughly 7,000 foreign students to transfer or risk being in the U.S. illegally.
The university called it illegal retaliation for rejecting the White House鈥檚 demands to overhaul Harvard policies around campus protests, admissions, hiring and other issues. Burroughs temporarily had halted the action hours after Harvard sued and then granted the first injunction Friday.
The second injunction came in response to another move from Trump, who cited a different legal justification when he issued a June 4 proclamation blocking foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard. Harvard challenged the move, and Burroughs again had issued a temporary restraining order.
Trump has been warring with Harvard for months after it rejected a series of government demands meant to address conservative complaints that the school has become too liberal and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment.
On Friday, he said in a post on Truth Social that the administration has been working with Harvard to address 鈥渢heir largescale improprieties鈥� and that a deal with Harvard could be announced within the next week. 鈥淭hey have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,鈥� Trump鈥檚 post said.
Foreign students, who account for a quarter of Harvard鈥檚 enrollment, were brought into the battle in April when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded Harvard turn over a trove of records related to any dangerous or illegal activity by foreign students. Harvard says it complied, but Noem said the response fell short and on May 22 revoked Harvard鈥檚 certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
The sanction immediately put Harvard at a disadvantage as it competed for the world鈥檚 top students, the school said in its lawsuit, and it harmed Harvard鈥檚 reputation as a global research hub. 鈥淲ithout its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,鈥� the suit said.
Harvard President Alan Garber previously said the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its 鈥渃ore, legally-protected principles,鈥� even after receiving federal ultimatums.
