Legal Showdown at Harvard: Judge Delivers Timeout on Trump’s Student Visa Ban

A federal judge in Boston has granted to June 23 a temporary restraining order prohibiting President Donald Trump's administration from denying foreign nationals from attending Harvard University. The judge granted the extension as she weighs Harvard's request for a broader injunction against Trump's recently issued executive order targeting international students.

 

The court battle concerns Trump's June 4th directive, which sought to bar international students from visiting the U.S. to study at Harvard for at least six months on grounds of national security and because Harvard had failed to reply to "known illegal activity" on its campus. The order also instructed the Secretary of State to weigh the possibility of revoking visas for current international students at Harvard.

 

Harvard, with about 6,800 foreign students, about 27% of its student population, has argued that the administration's measures amount to retaliation and violate the First Amendment rights of the university. The university further argues that the government is penalizing it for failing to alter its governance, curriculum, and campus ideology to comply with federal standards.

 

Judge Burroughs previously issued a temporary restraint order on June 6, suspending the enforcement of the proclamation because of concerns about "immediate and irreparable harm" to the students and the university. The broader assault by the Trump administration on Harvard has included freezing grants and threatening its tax-exempt status, fueling tensions between the White House and the Ivy League school.

 

A final decision on a permanent injunction will be issued following this June 23 hearing, with profound implications for Harvard's international community and the future of student visas throughout the country.

 

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Source: Reuters, NPR, Harvard Gazette, Times of India, Al Jazeera