The Trump administration’s attempts to prevent Harvard University from accepting overseas students were denied by a federal judge on Friday, giving the Ivy League university yet another win in its ongoing legal battle with the White House over many government restrictions.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs’ ruling in Boston maintains Harvard’s capacity to accept international students pending the outcome of the dispute.
In May, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after the agency revoked the school’s authorization to receive international students and process their visa applications. About 7,000 international students, or 25% of Harvard’s total enrollment, would have been forced to transfer or face the possibility of entering the country illegally as a result of the action. Harvard would not have been able to accept new international students.
The university claimed it was unlawful retaliation for turning down the White House’s requests to change Harvard’s rules regarding hiring, admissions, protests on campus, and other matters. Hours after Harvard filed a lawsuit, Burroughs put a temporary stop to the proceedings.
Trump took action to prevent international students from traveling to the United States to attend Harvard less than two weeks later, in early June, claiming a different legal basis. Burroughs also temporarily halted Harvard’s attempt to challenge the move.
Current students are uneasy due to the court battle’s halts and starts, while others worldwide are waiting to learn if they will be able to enroll in America’s oldest and richest university.
In a court filing, Harvard said that the Trump administration’s attempts to prevent the university from accepting overseas students had caused a great deal of anxiety, worry, and confusion. “Many foreign students have inquired about leaving the university,” said Maureen Martin, director of immigration services at Harvard.
After Harvard rejected a number of government demands intended to address conservative allegations that the university has become too liberal and has fostered anti-Jewish harassment, Trump and the university have been at odds for months. Trump administration officials have threatened to withdraw the organization’s tax-exempt status, terminated federal contracts, and reduced more than $2.6 billion in research funds.
Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, ordered in April that Harvard produce a wealth of documents pertaining to any unlawful or dangerous behavior by international students. Although Harvard claims to have complied, Noem said the response was insufficient and terminated Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification on May 22.
According to the school’s lawsuit, the suspension hurt Harvard’s standing as a major center for research worldwide and instantly put it at a disadvantage when it competed for the best students in the world. According to the lawsuit, Harvard would not be Harvard without its overseas students.
Some graduate institutions that significantly rely on foreign recruitment would have been upended by the action. Several foreign universities, including two in Hong Kong, promptly extended invites to Harvard students.
According to a previous statement by Harvard President Alan Garber, the university has taken action against antisemitism. However, he asserted that notwithstanding federal orders, Harvard will not deviate from its fundamental, legally protected values.
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