A federal decide has briefly blocked President Donald Trump’s proclamation that sought to bar Harvard College’s worldwide college students from coming into the nation.
U.S. District Decide Allison Burroughs issued a brief restraining order Thursday night time barring Trump from implementing the proclamation, writing the coverage dangers inflicting “speedy and irreparable damage.”
Her order briefly restricts the federal government from “implementing, instituting, sustaining, imposing, or giving drive or impact” to Trump’s proclamation.
The decide’s order comes after Harvard sued refiled a lawsuit on Thursday afternoon to dam the brand new proclamation, arguing it violates the First Modification and misuses the federal legislation Trump used to justify the transfer.
“The President’s actions thus aren’t undertaken to guard the ‘pursuits of the USA,’ however as a substitute to pursue a authorities vendetta towards Harvard,” the submitting stated.
A graduating scholar wears their hat, embellished with an announcement of help for worldwide college students, in the course of the 374th Graduation workouts at Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., Could 29, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters, FILE
The identical decide final week blocked the Trump administration from finishing up an analogous plan to revoke Harvard’s skill to enroll worldwide college students. Within the submitting, attorneys for Harvard argued each Trump’s proclamation Wednesday and the Division of Homeland Safety’s effort to revoke the varsity’s skill to enroll worldwide college students are illegal and retaliatory.
“Every is a part of a concerted and escalating marketing campaign of retaliation by the federal government in clear retribution for Harvard’s exercising its First Modification rights to reject the federal government’s calls for to manage Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its college and college students,” the submitting acknowledged.
Trump signed the proclamation on Wednesday afternoon, invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act to ban the entry of noncitizens from coming into the U.S. to review at Harvard for a minimum of six months. Trump argued the establishment is “now not a reliable steward” of worldwide college students.
The proclamation additionally directed the secretary of state to contemplate revoking the visas of international college students already within the U.S. to review at Harvard.
“I’ve decided that the entry of the category of international nationals described above is detrimental to the pursuits of the USA as a result of, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable vacation spot for international college students and researchers,” the proclamation stated.
The transfer marked an escalation within the Trump administration’s ongoing feud with Harvard.
Final month, the Division of Homeland Safety tried to revoke Harvard’s Scholar and Alternate Customer Program — which permits the varsity to sponsor international college students – however a federal decide issued a brief order blocking the transfer.
Whereas the Trump administration backtracked on the transfer by giving Harvard 30 days to contest the revocation, Decide Burroughs stated she would challenge a preliminary injunction final week briefly prohibiting the Trump administration from proscribing the varsity’s skill to host worldwide college students.
Trump justified the brand new proclamation Wednesday by claiming Harvard has refused to offer details about worldwide college students, has “intensive entanglements with international international locations,” and has discriminated of their admissions practices. The proclamation additionally claimed crime charges have “drastically risen” on the faculty and requires the federal government to probe the potential misconduct of international college students.
“These considerations have compelled the Federal Authorities to conclude that Harvard College is now not a reliable steward of worldwide scholar and trade customer packages,” the proclamation stated.
