by Emma de Luiter
and AP
It’s published •update
A federal judge has prevented the Trump administration from cutting off Harvard foreign students from enrolling.
In a lawsuit filed in Boston on Friday, Ivy League University said the government’s lawsuit violated the First Amendment and “has immediate and devastating effect on Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
The well-known institution said it aims to violate the White House’s political demands.
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the US government has been trying to fundamentally change the country’s universities.
“With Penn’s strokes, the government has sought to erase a quarter of the international students who have made a significant contribution to Harvard’s student body, the university and its mission,” Harvard said. “Without international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
The temporary restraining order was granted by US District Judge Alison Burrows.
If a Trump administration decision exists, the university will not be able to provide admission to new international students for at least the next two years.
Graduate schools like Harvard Kennedy School, where almost half of their students come from overseas, are at worst affected.
Harvard said the White House move on Thursday would soon put the school at a disadvantage as it competes with top students in the world. Even if they regained their ability to host students, “future applicants may avoid applying for fear of further retaliation from the government,” the lawsuit said.
The Department of Homeland Security claimed Thursday that the university acted against Harvard because it created an unsafe environment for Jewish students by allowing “anti-American professional terrorist agitators” on campus.
On April 16, Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem requested that Harvard University provide information about foreign students who may be involved with students abroad.
Noem said Harvard University could regain its ability to host international students if it records foreign students within 72 hours.
