A federal judge said that she would issue a preliminary injunction that would allow Harvard to continue enrolling international students — halting, at least for now, the Trump administration’s efforts to ban the practice.
Harvard has nearly 7,000 international students, which make up more than a quarter of the student body.
More than 1.1 million international students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities in the 2023-’24 school year.
Before Thursday’s hearing, lawyers for the Trump administration submitted court documents giving Harvard 30 days to contest the revocation of its ability to enroll international students.
It argues, therefore, that stripping the school of the ability to enroll international students is warranted.
The Trump administration’s attempts to outlaw the practice would be put on hold for the time being when a federal judge announced that she would grant a preliminary injunction that would permit Harvard to keep accepting international students.
At a hearing on the Trump administration’s effort to bar Harvard from accepting students and scholars on foreign visas, attorneys from both the administration and Harvard crowded a Boston courtroom on Thursday.
Allison D. Burroughs, the same judge, issued a temporary restraining order last Friday, which prompted the action.
According to Harvard first-year international student Ella Ricketts, “To me it represents some kind of temporary relief,”. She was concerned she wouldn’t be able to start an internship without a block because she is about to start one. She admitted that she wasn’t sure whether to declare this a win. “I obviously still have hope and optimism, but this is only one phase in a much longer process. “.
Nearly 7,000 students from other countries attend Harvard, accounting for over 25% of the student body. Over 1 million foreign students have enrolled at U.S. S. colleges and universities for the academic year 2023–2024. Since they are not eligible for federal financial aid, they serve as a vital source of funding for many universities.
At the same time as the hearing, Harvard was holding its graduation ceremony. Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University, acknowledged the ongoing lawsuit in his remarks to the graduates during the celebration. He greeted everyone, saying, “Welcome members of the class of 2025… from down the street, across the country, and around the world.”. all across the world. as it ought to be. There was thunderous applause and a standing ovation in response to the remarks.
Prior to the hearing on Thursday, attorneys for the Trump administration filed court filings granting Harvard 30 days to challenge the suspension of its international student enrollment rights. Federal government lawyers contended in court that the injunction was inappropriate since it had given the school 30 days to reply. “If we had an order in place,” Burroughs said in response, adding that she wanted to give international students greater control over their visa statuses.
Harvard’s attorneys claim in court documents that Trump administration officials have a personal grudge against the university, citing its “speech, its perceived viewpoint, and its refusal to surrender its academic independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”. The president’s social media posts were cited in the filings as proof.
The Trump administration has accused Harvard of “coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party” and claimed that the university has “failed to maintain a campus environment free from violence and antisemitism.”. Therefore, it makes the case that the school should be prohibited from accepting international students. The president of Harvard has written to the government outlining the school’s efforts to address antisemitism and acknowledging the school’s past problems.
