Agency. A court on Thursday temporarily halted US President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to block the admission of foreign students at Harvard. Trump’s fight with Harvard, one of the world’s most prestigious universities, has intensified.
The Announcement issued by the White House on Wednesday night sought to prevent many new international students from entering the country at Harvard and said that the visas of existing foreign enrolled students risk being canceled. “Harvard’s conduct makes it an inappropriate destination for foreign students and researchers,” the order said.
“This is not the administration’s first attempt to separate Harvard from its international students,” Harvard said, promptly amending an existing complaint filed in federal court, saying it was part of a campaign of coordinated and growing retaliation by the government for exercising the authority of the First Amendment to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s administration, curriculum and the ‘ideology’ of its teachers and students. ’
U.S. District Judge Alison Burroughs ruled on Thursday that the government could not implement Trump’s announcement. “Without a temporary restraining order, it risks sustaining “immediate and irreparable damage” before it has the opportunity to be heard from all parties,” he said. Burroughs had already blocked Trump’s earlier efforts to block the admission of international students to the historic university.
Government retaliation
The government has already cut nearly $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts that benefit Harvard and has promised to exclude Cambridge, Massachusetts and institutions from any future federal funds. Harvard has been at the forefront of Trump’s campaign against top universities after ignoring Trump’s call to introduce its curriculum, staff, student recruitment and an inspection of “approach diversity.”
Trump has also targeted international students at Harvard, who account for 27 percent of the total enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year and are a major source of income. In its petition, Harvard acknowledged that Trump had the right to stop an entire section of foreigners if it was considered in the public interest, but insisted that this was not the case.
“The president’s actions are not to protect the interests of the United States, but to seek government retaliation against Harvard,” Harvard said. After returning to office, Trump has targeted elite American universities. Universities have been accused by him and his colleagues of being the center of anti-Semitism, liberal prejudice and “awakened” ideology.
Trump’s education minister on Wednesday threatened to revoke Columbia University’s accreditation. Trump accused the New York Ivy League of ignoring the persecution of Jewish students and cast doubt on all of its federal funds. Unlike Harvard, many top institutions, including Colombia, have succumbed to the trump administration’s far-reaching demands.
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