A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban the enrollment of international students at Harvard, a move the Ivy League school denounced as unconstitutional retaliation for opposing the White House’s political demands.
In a lawsuit filed earlier Friday in a federal court in Boston, Harvard stated the administration’s measure violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect on Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
“With a single stroke of the pen, the administration has attempted to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body—international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard emphasized in its lawsuit.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
The temporary restraining order was granted by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs. The judge’s order responds to a motion filed by Harvard.
“Harvard has demonstrated that unless its request for temporary restraint (of Trump’s order) is granted, it will suffer immediate and irreparable harm,” the judge stated.
Burroughs also scheduled a hearing for May 27 at 9:30 a.m. local time (1:30 p.m. GMT), which representatives from both sides must attend. The temporary restraining order takes effect immediately and will likely remain in place until the hearing.
Trump’s administration’s attempt has thrown the campus into chaos just days before graduation, Harvard stated in the lawsuit. International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors, and participate in Harvard sports now face deciding whether to transfer to another school or risk losing their legal status to remain in the country, according to the document.
The impact is strongest at the graduate level, such as Harvard Kennedy School, where nearly half the student body comes from abroad, and Harvard Business School, where international students make up roughly a third of the student body.
In addition to affecting current students, the measure seeks to block the arrival of thousands of students planning to attend classes in the summer and fall.
Harvard, the most prestigious university in the U.S., said this immediately puts the school at a disadvantage as it competes for the world’s best students. Even if it regains the ability to admit students, “future applicants may avoid applying for fear of further government retaliation,” the lawsuit states.
Harvard University already sued the Republican administration last April to recover its frozen federal funding ($2.6 billion) for allegedly engaging in antisemitic conduct.
The prestigious institution is one of the universities that have seen their funding threatened by reports from the ‘Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism,’ created by Trump, for implementing ‘affirmative action’ policies or for not accommodating what the administration calls “diversity of ideas.”
Image: Infobae
