Harvard Requests Judge to Prevent Trump from Limiting International Students’ Access

Harvard has asked the court to step in and stop Trump from taking actions that would restrict access for overseas students.

President Donald Trump’s proposal to exclude foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard University was blocked by an existing injunction, which the university’s legal team sought a federal judge to extend on Monday.

Harvard lawyer Ian Gershengorn asked District Judge Allison Burroughs to issue a preliminary injunction during a hearing in Boston in order to replace the temporary restraining order she issued on June 6 that prevented Trump’s June 5 proclamation from being enforced.

Citing national security concerns, Gershengorn contended that the administration’s announcement was actually a retaliatory move against Harvard for defying calls to change its internal governance, curriculum, and ideological orientation. He informed the court, “The proclamation is a blatant violation of the First Amendment.”

In the most recent academic year, Harvard had around 6,800 international students, or roughly 27% of the total enrollment. Many of these students are from China and India.

The Trump administration has intensified its pressure on Harvard through a series of actions, including freezing billions in federal grants and threatening to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status. Harvard has filed several lawsuits in response to these actions, including ones to avoid limits on the enrollment of international students and to unfreeze $2.5 billion in funds.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared on May 22 that Harvard’s federal authorization to enroll overseas students, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, will be immediately terminated. Judge Burroughs quickly blocked that ruling.

At a hearing on May 29, Burroughs stated that she planned to grant a broad injunction to maintain the status quo, even though the Department of Homeland Security has subsequently changed course and is now seeking a delayed administrative review of Harvard’s certification.

Nevertheless, a week later, Trump issued his proclamation, citing national security as justification and asserting that Harvard is “no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs.”