Judge temporarily blocks Trump’s latest ban on Harvard’s international students

Trump admin to Harvard: 'you have 30 days'

The Trump administration is giving Harvard 30 days to contest the international student enrollment ban. Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on X: "Harvard’s refusal to comply with SEVP oversight was the latest evidence that it disdains the American people and takes for granted U.S. taxpayer benefits. Following our letter to Harvard, the school attempted to claim it now wishes to comply with SEVP standards."

A federal judge put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s proclamation that banned foreign students from entering the United States to attend Harvard University.

The order came down late Thursday evening.

Trump’s proclamation

Dig deeper:

Trump's proclamation, issued Wednesday, was the latest attempt by his administration to prevent the nation’s oldest and wealthiest college from enrolling a quarter of its students, who account for much of Harvard’s research and scholarship.

The other side: Harvard filed a legal challenge the next day, asking for a judge to block Trump’s order and calling it illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands. Harvard said the president was attempting an end-run around a previous court order.

A few hours later, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued a temporary restraining order against Trump’s Wednesday proclamation. Harvard, she said, had demonstrated it would sustain "immediate and irreparable injury" before she would have an opportunity to hear from the parties in the lawsuit.

Burroughs also extended the temporary hold she placed on the administration's previous attempt to end Harvard's enrollment of international students. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard's certification to host foreign students and issue paperwork to them for their visas, only to have Burroughs block the action temporarily. Trump’s order this week invoked a different legal authority.

FILE - A photo of President Donald Trump inlaid on a photo of Harvard's Widener Library. (Getty Images) 

Thousands of students could be blocked from going to school

Big picture view:

If Trump’s measure were to survive this court challenge, it would block thousands of students who are scheduled to come to Harvard's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the summer and fall terms.

"Harvard’s more than 7,000 F-1 and J-1 visa holders — and their dependents — have become pawns in the government’s escalating campaign of retaliation," Harvard wrote Thursday in a court filing.

The backstory: Harvard has attracted a growing number of the brightest minds from around the world, with international enrollment growing from 11% of the student body three decades ago to 26% today.

Rising international enrollment has made Harvard and other elite colleges uniquely vulnerable to Trump's crackdown on foreign students. Republicans have been seeking to force overhauls of the nation's top colleges, which they see as hotbeds of "woke" and antisemitic viewpoints.

President Alan Garber says the university has made changes to combat antisemitism. But Harvard, he said, will not stray from its "core, legally-protected principles," even after receiving federal ultimatums.

What's next:

While the court case proceeds, Harvard is making contingency plans so students and visiting scholars can continue their work at the university, Garber said in a message to the campus and alumni.

What they're saying:

"Each of us is part of a truly global university community," Garber said Thursday. "We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable."