Federal judge blocks Trump’s order banning Harvard’s foreign students

A federal judge has halted President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to block international students from entering the United States to study at Harvard University.

On the evening of June 5, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order directing the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to disregard Trump’s proclamation, which aimed to bar foreign nationals from entering the U.S. to study or teach at Harvard, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

In her brief two-page ruling, Burroughs said Harvard had demonstrated it would suffer “immediate and irreparable injury” if the order were not stopped. Her decision came within hours of Harvard amending an ongoing lawsuit against the Trump administration to include the president’s new directive.

Burroughs, appointed by President Barack Obama, had already blocked an earlier effort by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to strip Harvard of its decades-old certification to enrol foreign students. At a hearing last week, Burroughs said she planned to issue a preliminary injunction to preserve “the status quo” while the case proceeded — until Trump escalated the dispute with his new proclamation.

Although Trump’s latest directive did not immediately revoke student visas, it instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider doing so. The move threatened to prevent thousands of foreign students and faculty from arriving for the fall semester and could leave current Harvard students stranded abroad.

In the newly amended lawsuit, Harvard’s legal team accuses the administration of launching “a government vendetta” against the university, claiming the actions are politically motivated and a form of unconstitutional retaliation. The suit argues the president’s move was not about national interest but punishing Harvard for its refusal to comply with administration demands.

The clash is the latest in an ongoing standoff between Harvard and the Trump administration, largely centred on the university’s handling of campus antisemitism. The administration has accused the school of failing to protect Jewish students, while Harvard claims the government is using the issue to assert control over the university’s governance and ideological direction.

Trump has also criticised Harvard for accepting money from foreign governments, enrolling too many international students, and being hostile to conservatives. As of fall 2024, international students made up 27% of Harvard’s enrollment, over 6,700 students.

Despite the restraining order, Harvard argues the administration is still pressuring its visa holders. The State Department recently announced plans to intensify vetting procedures for foreign students applying to Harvard.

“Less than two weeks ago, this Court enjoined the Administration’s weaponisation of the immigration system,” Harvard’s attorneys wrote, calling the government’s actions an “unprecedented, government-wide campaign to punish and retaliate against Harvard.”

Meanwhile, the Justice Department vowed to defend Trump’s order. “Harvard is refusing to provide the federal government with information about crimes and misconduct committed by its foreign students,” wrote Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff, Chad Mizelle, on X. “This is a threat to national security and we will vigorously defend @POTUS’s proclamation.”

By Tamilla Hasanova