Court Halts Trump’s Ban On Foreign Students’ Admission To Harvard

A federal court on Thursday temporarily blocked Donald Trump’s move to prevent international students from enrolling at Harvard, marking another escalation in his ongoing conflict with the university.

Late Wednesday, the White House issued a proclamation that aimed to stop most new foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard.

It also warned that current international students could lose their visas, claiming that Harvard was no longer a suitable place for foreign students and researchers.

“Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the order said.

In response, Harvard quickly updated a lawsuit it had already filed, stating that this was just another attempt by the administration to cut the school off from its international student community.

The university argued that the government was retaliating against Harvard for resisting its efforts to interfere in how the school is run, including its curriculum and hiring decisions.

Harvard said, “This is not the Administration’s first attempt to sever Harvard from its international students.”

“(It) is part of a concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation by the government in clear retribution for Harvard’s exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.”

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the government cannot enforce Trump’s order, saying Harvard had shown it could suffer serious and irreversible harm if the ban went into effect before the court heard from both sides.

This is the second time Judge Burroughs has blocked Trump from trying to restrict international student admissions at Harvard.

The administration has already slashed about $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts that supported Harvard and has threatened to cut off all future government funding.

Trump has repeatedly gone after top universities like Harvard, especially after the school pushed back against efforts to control its academic content, staff decisions, and student recruitment policies. International students, who make up 27% of Harvard’s 2024–2025 enrollment, have been a particular target, despite their large contribution to the school’s finances.

Harvard admitted in its court filing that the president has broad power to block certain groups of foreigners if it’s in the national interest—but argued that this was not the case here.

The university claimed the move was not about protecting the country but rather about punishing Harvard.

Since returning to office, Trump has gone after elite universities, accusing them of fostering liberal ideologies and failing to address anti-Semitism.

His education secretary recently threatened to strip Columbia University of its accreditation, putting its federal funding at risk.

Unlike Harvard, some schools, including Columbia, have already agreed to comply with the administration’s broad demands.

KanyiDaily recalls that President Donald Trump recently signed a new order that restricts people from 12 countries from entering the United States, saying it’s necessary for national security.