Administration's foreign student ban at Harvard challenged by judge
Harvard University's Legal Battle with the Trump Administration Over International Student Enrollment and Federal Funding
Harvard University's legal dispute with the Trump administration continues to unfold, with recent developments concerning international student enrollment and federal contracts.
In a ruling yesterday, federal judge Allison D. Burroughs extended a temporary restraining order, preventing the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to sponsor international students and scholars. The order blocks the government from implementing the revocation of the Ivy League school's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, thus allowing Harvard to continue hosting foreign students with F-1 or J-1 visas in the United States.
Today, a hearing is scheduled to decide whether the restraining order will be extended further. The Trump administration alleges that Harvard has not complied with requests for records concerning international students, retaliation being the perceived motive for the certification revocation. Harvard, however, contests this claim, asserting that the administration's actions are in retaliation for exercising its First Amendment rights, including refusing government demands to control its governance, curriculum, and faculty ideology.
Independently, the Trump administration has canceled approximately $100 million in contracts with Harvard and is seeking to freeze over $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in additional contracts. Harvard has filed a separate lawsuit challenging this funding freeze, with a hearing set for July.
The court proceedings follow the Trump administration's accusations that Harvard has been slow to turn over foreign student information. Additionally, the administration has charged Harvard with numerous offenses, including promoting antisemitism, hosting and training members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (a "CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide"), and collaborating with China-based academics on projects funded by an Iranian government agent.
Harvard argues that these actions by the Trump administration are a deliberate attempt to disrupt the university's academic pursuits and jeopardize the well-being of more than 7,000 international students, representing over a quarter of its student body. Roughly 18% of Harvard's total international student population last year was Chinese.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
Lawyers representing Harvard assert that international students are "terrified" and "facing real harm in real time." In the interim, the status quo remains.
Sources: [1] The Boston Globe, [2] AP News, and [4] The Harvard Crimson
- The breaking news about Harvard University's legal battle with the Trump Administration involves not only politics but also policy-and-legislation, as the dispute revolves around international student enrollment, federal funding, and the cancelation of contracts.
- Yesterday's ruling extended a temporary restraining order, allowing Harvard University to continue hosting foreign students with F-1 or J-1 visas, thus providing a platform for education-and-self-development and online-education.
- In the midst of this legal dispute, general-news sources are reporting that the Trump Administration alleges that Harvard has not complied with records requests, and has been accused of various offenses, including promoting antisemitism and collaborating with China-based academics.
- As this court case unfolds, the future of over 7,000 international students at Harvard University hangs in the balance, with lawyers for the university asserting that these students are "terrified" and "facing real harm in real time."
