A U.S. District Judge, Allison Burroughs, has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to prevent Harvard University from enrolling international students.
The ruling, delivered in the Boston Federal Court, temporarily upholds the Ivy League school’s ability to admit international students. Harvard had argued in court that “without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Judge Burroughs’ injunction is set to last approximately two weeks, with further hearings scheduled for May 27 and 29.
According to the Trump administration, the move to restrict Harvard stems from allegations that the university fosters violence, promotes antisemitism, and coordinates with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.
This marks the latest chapter in an escalating conflict between the White House and Harvard. Previously, the Trump administration froze $3 billion in federal grants to the university, prompting a lawsuit. Additionally, it has proposed revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status, increasing taxes on its endowment, and launched an investigation into possible civil rights violations.
The temporary court order has provided relief to about 7,000 international student visa holders. Harvard contends that the administration’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution and federal laws and are part of a broader campaign to retaliate against the Massachusetts-based university.
International students currently make up 27% of Harvard’s student population. In its legal filing, Harvard stated, “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 President Alan Garber described the administration’s actions as “a round of retaliatory attacks on the institution,” aimed at forcing Harvard to surrender its academic independence and submit to what he called “the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, faculty, and student body.”
Reacting to the ruling, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement, “Unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising its rightful control over immigration and national security policy.”