Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Ban on Foreign Students

Friday, 23 May 2025 6:28 PM

Harvard students at a rally in April 2025. (Photo by AP)

Harvard University has sued the Trump administration for barring the institution from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political orders.

The University filed a lawsuit on Friday morning for a temporary restraining order in an attempt to block the US Department of Homeland Security from banning foreign students.

Following the initiative, US District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order freezing the policy for two weeks.

International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors and participate in Harvard sports are now left deciding whether to transfer or risk losing legal status to stay in the country, according to the filing.

Harvard says the US government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission.”

The security department revoked Harvard’s Exchange Visitor Program for what it called “pro-terrorist conduct,” saying the institution can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.

It announced the action on Thursday, accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators.”

It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, claiming the school had hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

On April 16, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem threatened Harvard’s international enrollment, saying her administration is “holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, anti-Semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”

She ordered the institution to produce a trove of records on foreign students within 72 hours.

She said Harvard can regain the ability to host foreign students if it provides all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests.

Harvard officials said earlier this month that the university would not budge on “its core, legally-protected principles” over fears of retaliation.

The president of Harvard University has refrained from complying with a new list of demands from the US administration to maintain access to federal funding.

They announced the plan to respond at a later time to allegations first raised by Trump's allies about coordination with the Chinese Communist Party.

Leaders of the Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors called the move "the latest in a string of nakedly authoritarian and retaliatory moves against America's oldest institution of higher education."

"The Trump administration is unlawfully seeking to destroy higher education in the United States. It now demands that we sacrifice our international students in the process. Universities cannot acquiesce to such extortion," it said.

Trump has mandated his government to expel non-citizen student activists involved in pro-Palestine demonstrations.

US government officials have claimed these students oppose US “foreign policy and national security interests” due to their opposition to Israel’s prolonged, genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza.

Furthermore, Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently announced it had frozen $2.3 billion in federal funding to the school.

Friday’s lawsuit against the Trump administration is Harvard’s second in less than two months.

Earlier this year, task forces at Harvard issued two reports, warning about instances of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias.