In a major win for Harvard University and its international student community, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to cancel the school’s ability to enroll students from outside the United States.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston announced that she would issue a preliminary injunction to stop the move. This decision follows an earlier temporary order she granted six days earlier to protect Harvard while the case was being reviewed.
The court hearing happened the same day Harvard was holding its graduation ceremony. University President Alan Garber received applause when he proudly welcomed students from across the world, a nod to Harvard’s diverse student body, with more than a quarter of its students coming from outside the United States.
The Trump administration has taken several aggressive steps against Harvard, including freezing billions of dollars in funding, challenging the school’s tax-exempt status, and opening investigations into alleged discrimination. These moves appear to be part of a larger campaign to push colleges, especially elite ones, to align with its political agenda.
The most recent effort to strip Harvard of the right to admit foreign students could have severe consequences. International students make up nearly 60% of the Harvard Kennedy School’s graduate population and are a crucial part of the university’s academic community.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced that the U.S. would begin canceling student visas, particularly targeting Chinese students. He said the focus would be on those connected to the Chinese Communist Party or studying sensitive subjects, though he didn’t specify which fields. This has caused uncertainty and disappointment among thousands of students planning to study in the U.S.
Judge Burroughs questioned the Trump administration’s sudden shift in position. After initially declaring the ban immediate, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later sent Harvard a letter allowing 30 days to respond, a move seen as a tactic to weaken the university’s legal argument.
Despite this, Judge Burroughs said a strong court order was still needed. She doubted Harvard’s situation would change and noted that student visas were already being revoked, suggesting that the government had not fully respected the earlier court ruling.
Harvard has called the government’s actions an attack on academic freedom and says it is being punished for standing firm against political pressure. The university is also fighting another legal battle over the loss of nearly $3 billion in research funding.
By Lucky Anyanje
