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In a move that intensified White House efforts to align academic procedures with President Donald Trump’s policies, a US judge on Friday prevented the Trump administration from canceling Harvard University’s admission of international students.
Harvard said the revocation had a “immediate and disastrous effect” on the university and over 7,000 visa holders, and it was a “blatant breach” of the US Constitution and other federal statutes in a case filed earlier on Friday in a federal court in Boston.
Harvard said, “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 added, “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
The temporary restraining order that stopped the policy from immediate implementation, was issued by US District Judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, Harvard University has condemned, Donald Trump administration’s decision to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students, as both unlawful and unwarranted and said that the decision “imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars.”
In a statement released on Friday, the Ofice of the President of the Harvard University said, “Yesterday, the federal government announced that it has revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students and scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body.”
Reassuring its international community, Harvard emphasised its commitment to defending academic freedom and pledged support to those impacted by the decision.
It added, “We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action. It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfil their dreams. We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars. The Harvard International Office will provide periodic updates as new information becomes available.”
The statement further said that the government has claimed that its destructive action is based on Harvard’s failure to comply with the US Department of Homeland Security’s requests for information.
“In fact, Harvard did respond to the Department’s requests as required by law. For those international students and scholars affected by yesterday’s action, know that you are vital members of our community. You are our classmates and friends, our colleagues and mentors, our partners in the work of this great institution. Thanks to you, we know more and understand more, and our country and our world are more enlightened and more resilient. We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world,” the Harvard statement added.
Earlier on Thursday, the White House said, “Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.” It accused Harvard leadership of turning “their once-great institution into a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”
In a statement to CNN, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions.”
Harvard and the Trump administration have been engaged in a conflict for months as the administration demands the university make changes to the programming of the institution, hiring and administration to remove on-campus antisemitism and remove what it termed “racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.” The administration has targeted foreign students and employees, whom it believes were part of the contentious campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
