A federal judge on Friday halted the Trump administration’s attempt to prevent foreign students from enrolling at Harvard—an action the Ivy League university denounced as an unconstitutional act of retaliation for opposing White House policies.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed earlier that day by Harvard in federal court in Boston, arguing that the administration’s move violated the First Amendment and would have an “immediate and devastating effect” on both the university and more than 7,000 visa-holding students.
“With a single stroke of the pen, the government has attempted to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body—international students who greatly enrich the university and its mission,” the university stated in its complaint. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order blocking the policy put forward by the Trump administration.
According to Harvard, the measure threw the campus into chaos just days before graduation. International students—many of whom lead research labs, teach classes, assist faculty, and compete in athletics—now face the difficult choice of transferring to another school or risking their legal status in the U.S.
The impact is especially severe at the graduate level, particularly at Harvard Kennedy School, where nearly half the student body comes from abroad, and at Harvard Business School, where international students make up about one-third of the cohort.
Beyond affecting current students, the policy also sought to block the arrival of thousands of new international students expected for the summer and fall semesters. Harvard argued this would immediately put the university at a disadvantage in the global race for top talent.
“Even if we regain the ability to admit international students, the damage is done,” the university warned in the filing. “Future applicants may choose not to apply out of fear of further government retaliation.”
