In a major legal setback for former U.S. President Donald Trump, a federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked his latest attempt to bar international students from enrolling at Harvard University, deepening a bitter standoff between the Trump administration and the elite institution.
The White House proclamation, issued late Wednesday, sought to ban the entry of most new foreign students at Harvard and threatened visa cancellations for existing enrollees. The order accused Harvard of being “an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” citing concerns over governance, curriculum, and ideological direction.
Harvard responded swiftly, filing an amended complaint in federal court that characterized the move as part of “a concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation” against the university for rejecting government efforts to exert control over its academic decisions.
“This is not the Administration’s first attempt to sever Harvard from its international students,” the university’s filing read. “The President’s actions are not undertaken to protect the interests of the United States, but instead to pursue a government vendetta against Harvard.”
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled in favor of the university, issuing a temporary restraining order to prevent enforcement of the proclamation. In her decision, she emphasized that Harvard had demonstrated a risk of “immediate and irreparable injury” if the order were allowed to stand.
This marks the second time Judge Burroughs has intervened to block efforts by Trump to curtail international student enrollment at Harvard. The university, which draws around 27% of its student body from outside the U.S., considers international enrollees vital to its global academic influence and financial sustainability.
The broader dispute between Trump and top U.S. universities has intensified since his return to office. The federal government has already slashed approximately $3.2 billion in research grants and contracts linked to Harvard, and officials have vowed to exclude the university from future federal funding.
Harvard’s defiance has placed it at the center of a broader cultural and political battle. Trump and his allies have repeatedly criticized Ivy League schools for fostering what they claim is anti-Semitism, liberal bias, and “woke” ideology on campuses.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos further escalated tensions this week by threatening to strip Columbia University of its accreditation, citing its handling of alleged harassment of Jewish students — a move that also places its federal funding in jeopardy.
While some institutions, including Columbia, have complied with Trump’s sweeping directives, Harvard has stood firm, framing the administration’s actions as an unprecedented intrusion on academic freedom.
As the legal and political battle continues, Thursday’s court decision marks a critical pause — but not the end — of an intensifying confrontation between one of the world’s most powerful governments and one of its most prestigious academic institutions.
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