Judge Halts Trump’s Proclamation to Suspend New International Student Visas at Harvard
A federal judge has ruled against President Donald Trump.
The judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring new international students from entering Harvard University, delivering a swift legal setback to the White House in a high-stakes battle over academic freedom and immigration policy.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs issued the restraining order late Thursday, citing the risk of “immediate and irreparable injury” to the university if the measure was allowed to proceed. The ruling came just hours after Harvard filed an emergency request, arguing the ban would bar a quarter of its student body, its international students, from entering the United States.
Trump’s proclamation, signed Wednesday, directs the Secretary of State to suspend visas for new international students bound for Harvard and to consider revoking visas for current students. The White House justified the measure on national security grounds, claiming the elite university has failed to address issues like antisemitism and campus violence.
Harvard’s amended lawsuit sharply contests those claims, calling the proclamation a “government vendetta” and accusing the administration of violating the First Amendment and academic freedom. The suit argues that Trump is targeting the university not for security reasons but in retaliation for its refusal to adopt ideologically driven federal mandates.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the complaint states, asserting that the proclamation is an attempt to circumvent prior court orders and eliminate foreign student participation through administrative fiat.
The case builds on an earlier legal battle between the university and the Department of Homeland Security. In May, the same judge had blocked DHS from revoking Harvard’s certification to host international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The latest presidential action, the university contends, is a workaround aimed at achieving the same goal by barring students from entering the country in the first place.
Harvard President Alan Garber denounced the move as “yet another illegal step taken by the Administration to retaliate against Harvard,” adding that the university would continue to defend its students and assert its constitutional rights. He vowed institutional support for those affected and emphasized the importance of Harvard’s international community to its academic mission.
The dispute reflects a broader campaign by the Trump administration against elite universities, particularly Harvard, which is also challenging a separate order threatening over $2 billion in federal funding and its tax-exempt status. That case, also before Judge Burroughs, is scheduled for hearings next month.
In parallel to the visa ban, the State Department reportedly issued directives to consular officials to increase scrutiny of Harvard-bound visa applicants, including detailed reviews of their social media presence. The lawsuit claims that applicants who refuse to make their social media accounts public, or do not use social media, could be denied visas for appearing “evasive.”
Critics warn the new measures may have chilling effects on international academic collaboration and threaten to damage the United States’ standing in global education and research.
The restraining order will remain in place until the court hears full arguments in mid-June on whether to permanently block the proclamation. The White House has not yet commented on the judge’s decision.
