A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump from preventing foreign nationals from entering the US to study or take part in exchange programs at Harvard University.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs granted a two-page temporary restraining order to Harvard, halting Mr. Trump’s proclamation from taking effect while further litigation occurs amid a growing conflict between the Ivy League institution and the Republican president.
The judge determined that Mr. Trump’s directive, which bans foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard for the next six months, would cause “immediate and irreparable injury” before the courts could review the situation.
Last month, Judge Burroughs blocked another order from Mr. Trump that aimed to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students, who constitute over a quarter of its student body.
“The Proclamation denies thousands of Harvard’s students the right to come to this country to pursue their education and follow their dreams, and it denies Harvard the right to teach them. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the university stated in its filing.
Judge Burroughs’ order also extended an earlier temporary restraining order issued on May 23 against the administration’s restrictions on international student enrollment at Harvard.
Earlier, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson referred to Harvard as “a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” claims that the university has previously rejected.
In its court filing, Harvard stated that Donald Trump violated federal law.
“Harvard’s behavior has jeopardized the integrity of the entire US student and exchange visitor visa system and risks compromising national security. Now it must face the consequences of its actions,” Ms. Jackson stated.
Mr. Trump cited national security concerns as the rationale for preventing international students from entering the US to study at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based institution.
Under Mr. Trump’s proclamation, the suspension would initially last for six months but could be extended.
The order also instructed the US State Department to consider revoking the academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who fit the criteria outlined in his proclamation.
In a recent court filing, Harvard argued that Mr. Trump had violated federal law by failing to substantiate his claims regarding national security.
“The Proclamation does not deem the entry of an alien or class of aliens to be detrimental to the interests of the United States because non-citizens affected by the Proclamation can enter the United States—provided they go elsewhere other than Harvard,” the university asserted.
The Trump administration has initiated a multi-pronged attack on the nation’s oldest and richest university, freezing billions in grants and other funding while proposing to eliminate its tax-exempt status, triggering multiple legal challenges.
Read more: US government revokes Harvard’s right to enroll international students
Harvard contends that the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to submit to demands regarding the governance, curriculum, and ideological perspectives of its faculty and students.
The university filed a lawsuit after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on May 22 that her department was immediately revoking Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which permits the enrollment of foreign students.
Ms. Noem’s action was quickly blocked by Judge Burroughs. Following this, the department changed its approach, opting to challenge Harvard’s certification through a longer administrative process.
Nonetheless, Judge Burroughs indicated her intent to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction at Harvard’s request, stating one is necessary to provide protection for the university’s international students.
Wednesday’s two-page directive from Mr. Trump claimed that Harvard had “demonstrated a history of concerning foreign ties and radicalism,” and had “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries,” including China.
It further asserted that Harvard had experienced a “drastic rise in crime in recent years” while failing to address certain categories of conduct violations on campus, and had not provided adequate information to the Homeland Security Department regarding foreign students’ “known illegal or dangerous activities.”
The university’s court filing argued that these claims were unsubstantiated.
