A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s directive that would stop international students from entering the US to study at Harvard University. According to Reuters, the ruling halts enforcement of the order while courts review the case.
The judge said Trump’s directive, banning foreign nationals from attending Harvard for six months, would cause “immediate and irreparable injury” before a legal review. Harvard had filed a lawsuit against the administration’s move, stating the policy denies thousands of international students the chance to study and the university its right to educate them. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the university emphasized in court documents.
This ruling extends a previous order preventing the government from stopping Harvard from enrolling international students, who make up over a quarter of its student body. The ongoing legal dispute comes as the Trump administration claims national security risks justify the suspension. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Harvard as “a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” an allegation the university denies.
Trump’s proclamation also asks the State Department to consider revoking visas for current Harvard students who fall under its criteria. Harvard argues the administration’s claims lack evidence and that the policy unfairly targets its students. The university insists the suspension violates federal law by failing to prove any genuine threat.
The Trump administration has escalated pressure on Harvard by freezing grants and proposing to revoke its tax-exempt status. Officials have accused the university of refusing to comply with demands on governance and faculty ideology. Harvard’s lawsuit began after the Department of Homeland Security moved to revoke the university’s certification to enroll foreign students.
Judge Allison Burroughs has blocked these actions, noting the need to protect international students. The administration also accused Harvard of having “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries” and increasing campus crime, claims the university’s recent court filings call unsubstantiated.
Article updated 3 weeks ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
