A federal judge has temporarily blocked the latest attempt by President Donald Trump to bar most new international students from enrolling at Harvard University, marking the latest escalation in the administration’s ongoing clash with the Ivy League school.
The executive order, issued late Wednesday, declared Harvard an unsuitable destination for international students and threatened to cancel visas for those already enrolled.
It accused the university of fostering an ideology counter to American interests and failing to meet federal expectations.
In a swift response, Harvard amended a pending legal case to challenge the move, accusing the government of retaliatory behavior.
“This action is part of a coordinated campaign of retribution against Harvard for exercising its First Amendment rights,” the university stated in court documents.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order preventing the administration from implementing the ban.
She found that Harvard would suffer “immediate and irreparable injury” without urgent court intervention.
This is not the first time Judge Burroughs has ruled against Trump’s immigration-related actions targeting international students.
In 2020, she blocked a similar policy aimed at revoking visas for students taking online-only classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dispute comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to reshape higher education.
Officials have accused elite institutions like Harvard and Columbia University of promoting liberal bias and failing to address antisemitism.
In a particularly aggressive move, the federal government recently slashed approximately $3.2 billion in grants and contracts awarded to Harvard.
Officials have also warned the university could be excluded from all future federal funding.
International students, who make up nearly 27% of Harvard’s enrollment, have been a particular focus of the administration’s criticism.
While acknowledging that the president holds broad immigration powers, Harvard argued that the latest proclamation was politically motivated and not grounded in national interest.
“The President is not acting to protect the United States,” Harvard stated.
“This is a personal vendetta against an institution that refused to comply with political demands.”
Meanwhile, other universities such as Columbia have reportedly conceded to federal oversight, though not without controversy.
