A US federal judge on Thursday extended an order blocking the Donald Trump administration’s attempt to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs granted Harvard’s request for a preliminary injunction, blocking the government’s action until the case is decided. It had already been paused since last week, when Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order, calling the ban "unconstitutional."
Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security on Friday after Secretary Kristi Noem revoked its ability to host foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And on Wednesday, the Trump administration announced a new effort to revoke Harvard's certification to enroll foreign students.
In a letter sent by the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Todd Lyons, the government gave Harvard 30 days to respond to the alleged grounds for withdrawal, which include accusations that Harvard coordinated with foreign entities and failed to respond sufficiently to antisemitism on campus.
Harvard sponsors more than 7,000 people on a combination of F-1 and J-1 visas, which are issued to students and to foreigners visiting the US on exchange programs such as fellowships. Across all the schools that make up the university, about 26% of the student body is from outside the US.
But some schools and programs, by nature of their subject matter, have significantly more international students. At the Harvard Kennedy School, which covers public policy and public administration, 49% of students are on F-1 visas. In the business school, one-third of students come from abroad. And within the law school, 94% of the students in the master’s program in comparative law are international students.
(With inputs from Associated Press)