In a high-stakes legal showdown between Harvard University and the Trump administration, a federal judge has temporarily blocked an attempt to revoke the school’s ability to host international students.
The Department of Homeland Security had announced a policy Thursday that would have removed Harvard from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the database critical to managing foreign students’ academic status in the U.S.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order, pausing the implementation of the policy and offering short-term relief to Harvard and its international student population.
Harvard responded with an immediate lawsuit, labeling the policy a “blatant violation” of U.S. law and a threat to academic freedom. The university accused the administration of punishing it for resisting federal demands over its curriculum, admissions, and staffing decisions.
“The government tried to erase a quarter of our student body with a single stroke,” the university’s legal team argued, referring to the roughly 6,800 international students who make up more than 27% of Harvard’s enrollment.
Harvard President Alan Garber condemned the administration’s move as “unlawful and unwarranted,” warning that it could have serious repercussions for academic independence across the country.
In response, White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson accused Harvard of turning a blind eye to antisemitism and enabling what she termed “pro-terrorist agitators” on campus. She dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” and criticized the judge’s ruling as ideologically driven.
As reported by the BBC, critics warn that the administration’s stance could undermine global access to U.S. higher education and destabilize the financial health of universities that rely heavily on international tuition. At Harvard, tuition alone is set at $59,320 for the upcoming academic year, with total costs often exceeding $100,000.
The court’s ruling comes as a relief for students like Leo Ackerman, who is set to begin studies at Harvard this fall. “This is a dream for so many of us,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to see it jeopardized, but now there’s a chance.”
Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth is among the international students potentially affected by the dispute.
Although the court’s order puts the administration’s action on hold for now, the broader fight over academic freedom and the role of international students in U.S. education is far from settled.