BOSTON — Harvard University is urging a federal judge to extend an order blocking President Donald Trump's plan to bar foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at the Ivy League institution, according to a Reuters report.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs will consider the request Monday during a hearing in Boston. The judge will weigh whether to issue an injunction to prevent Trump's administration from implementing restrictions on Harvard's ability to host international students while the university's lawsuit challenging the policy proceeds. Nearly 6,800 international students, about 27% of Harvard's student body, attended the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based school in the most recent academic year.
The legal battle intensified after Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order June 6, halting a proclamation Trump signed a day earlier. Harvard argues the administration's actions violate the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment protections against government abridgment of free speech. The university claims the policy is retaliation for refusing to comply with demands to control its governance, curriculum, and faculty ideology.
"The university has said the administration unconstitutionally 'sought to sever Harvard from its international students, with the inevitable and intended effect of wreaking havoc on the Harvard community, throwing into disarray every aspect of campus life,'" court documents state.
The Trump administration has launched a broader offensive against Harvard, freezing billions in grants and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting multiple lawsuits. On May 22, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the revocation of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enroll foreign students. Burroughs blocked that action, though the Department of Homeland Security has since shifted to a lengthier administrative process to challenge Harvard's certification.
In court filings, the U.S. Justice Department argued Burroughs should not conflate Trump's proclamation with Noem's actions, noting the proclamation does not ban existing students and relies on different legal authority. Harvard maintains the policies are part of a coordinated effort to undermine its academic freedom.
The outcome of Monday's hearing could have significant implications for Harvard's international students and the broader landscape of U.S. higher education. The university has vowed to continue protecting its global scholars, who contribute significantly to its academic and cultural diversity.
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