Court halts Trump’s new restriction on foreign students at Harvard

A federal court on Thursday temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to prevent foreign students from enrolling at Harvard University, marking a new escalation in his ongoing clash with the elite institution.

The White House had issued a proclamation late Wednesday seeking to bar most new international students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard, while warning that current foreign students could lose their visas. The order accused Harvard of being “an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers.”

In response, Harvard quickly updated a previously filed federal lawsuit, stating: “This is not the Administration’s first attempt to isolate Harvard from its international student community.” The university accused the government of mounting “a coordinated and intensifying campaign of retaliation” for Harvard’s refusal to let the administration dictate its governance, curriculum, and campus discourse.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the government could not implement Trump’s order, citing Harvard’s risk of suffering “immediate and irreparable harm” if the restriction went into effect without a full hearing.

This is not the first time Judge Burroughs has blocked a Trump-era move targeting international students at Harvard.

Government Retaliation Alleged

The federal government has already slashed approximately $3.2 billion in grants and contracts benefiting Harvard and announced plans to exclude the university from future federal funding.

Harvard has become a primary target of Trump’s broader offensive against elite universities, which have resisted federal interference in academic content, hiring practices, and student admissions. The administration has particularly focused on international students, who made up 27% of Harvard’s student body in the 2024–25 academic year and represent a key revenue source.

In its legal filing, Harvard acknowledged that the president has the authority to restrict entry of certain foreign nationals when it's in the public interest—but insisted that this proclamation was not justified.

“These actions are not about protecting national interests but are part of a political vendetta against Harvard,” the university said.

Since returning to office, Trump has renewed his campaign against top academic institutions, accusing them of harboring liberal agendas, fostering anti-Semitism, and promoting "woke" ideologies.

On Wednesday, Trump’s education secretary also threatened to revoke Columbia University’s accreditation, accusing it of failing to address the harassment of Jewish students. That move placed all of Columbia’s federal funding in jeopardy.

While Harvard has pushed back against the administration’s demands, other institutions—such as Columbia—have already conceded to some of the federal government’s sweeping directives.