A federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's authority to enroll international students, providing immediate relief to more than 7,000 visa holders whose academic status was thrown into limbo. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, followed a lawsuit filed earlier that same day by Harvard, which accused the administration of retaliatory overreach aimed at forcing the institution to align with partisan policy demands.
Judge Burroughs, an Obama appointee, concluded that Harvard "will sustain immediate and irreparable injury" without an emergency injunction and scheduled hearings for May 27 and May 29 to determine whether a longer-term block is warranted. In a separate legal filing, the university described the government's move as a "blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act."
The ruling comes after the Department of Homeland Security notified Harvard on Thursday that it was terminating the university's certification to host foreign students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, effective for the 2025-2026 academic year. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party," though no specific evidence was cited publicly.
"This unlawful and unwarranted action imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others," Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement. He added, "The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence."
Harvard argued in court that the policy would force the university to withdraw admissions for thousands of students and disrupt academic operations just days before graduation. The lawsuit stated, "With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body." Foreign students represent 27% of Harvard's current enrollment.
Swedish undergraduate Leo Gerden, who is graduating this month, called the judge's decision "a great first step" but said students remained uneasy. "There is no single decision by Trump or by Harvard or by a judge that is going to put an end to this tyranny of what Trump is doing," he said.
The Department of Homeland Security justified its action by claiming Harvard had failed to meet a deadline to provide records of "illegal, dangerous or violent" activities by international students, along with protest footage, disciplinary files, and related material covering the past five years. Harvard's legal team said the university is under no legal obligation to provide such records and that the demand constituted government coercion targeting speech and academic freedom.
The clash marks the latest in a growing series of confrontations between the Trump administration and the university. In recent months, Harvard has filed separate lawsuits challenging the administration's freeze on $2.2 billion in research funding and additional blocks on $450 million in federal grants. The administration has also floated revoking the school's tax-exempt status and increasing taxes on its $53 billion endowment.
The foreign student case was assigned to Judge Burroughs because Harvard designated it as related to the earlier funding case. Burroughs also presided over the high-profile affirmative action case that led to the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling striking down race-based admissions policies in higher education.
Harvard retained a new legal team for the foreign student suit, bringing on Chicago-based Jenner & Block and former acting solicitor general Ian Gershengorn, while longtime counsel Ropes & Gray continues to handle the funding case. Legal experts say the foreign student dispute could escalate to the Supreme Court if the administration appeals.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson criticized the ruling, stating, "Unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy."
