US Judge Temporarily Halts Trump's Ban on New Foreign Students Attending Harvard
A U.S. federal judge, Allison Burroughs, temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's proclamation that aimed to bar new foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard University. The court granted a temporary restraining order, citing potential "immediate and irreparable injury" to Harvard. The university argued the ban was retaliatory and lacked valid national security justification, marking a development in an ongoing dispute.
Unpacked:
President Trump’s proclamation targeted Harvard, citing grievances such as alleged campus antisemitism, its diversity and inclusion policies, rising campus crime, and failure to comply with federal records requests. The administration claimed these issues made Harvard an unsuitable destination for foreign students and posed national security concerns, although Harvard and critics dispute these claims as retaliatory and unsupported by evidence.
More than 10,000 international students and scholars study at Harvard. The proclamation could impact these existing students and newly admitted international students who have not yet traveled to the U.S. for the fall semester.
Harvard argues that the entry ban is unlawful, retaliatory, and violates the university’s First Amendment rights. The university claims there is no valid national security justification for the proclamation and that it is an attempt to circumvent previous court rulings that allowed continued enrollment of international students.
Alongside the Harvard-specific ban, President Trump also signed an order banning entry from 12 countries—mostly in Africa and the Middle East—and restricting entry from seven more. This suggests a broader pattern of immigration restrictions affecting other groups beyond just Harvard affiliates.