Lower than 24 hours after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation blocking Harvard’s foreign students from getting into the USA, the college is asking a federal choose to declare the proclamation illegal and cease it from taking impact.
Attorneys for Harvard refiled a lawsuit on Thursday afternoon to dam the brand new proclamation, arguing it violates the First Modification and misuses the federal legislation Trump used to justify the transfer.
“The President’s actions thus will not be undertaken to guard the ‘pursuits of the USA,’ however as an alternative to pursue a authorities vendetta towards Harvard,” the submitting mentioned.
A graduating pupil wears their hat, embellished with a press release of help for worldwide college students, in the course of the 374th Graduation workouts at Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., Might 29, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters, FILE
A federal choose final week blocked the Trump administration from finishing up the same plan to revoke Harvard’s means to enroll worldwide college students. In its newest submitting, attorneys for Harvard argued each Trump’s proclamation Wednesday and the Division of Homeland Safety’s effort to revoke the varsity’s means to enroll worldwide college students are illegal and retaliatory.
“Every is a part of a concerted and escalating marketing campaign of retaliation by the federal government in clear retribution for Harvard’s exercising its First Modification rights to reject the federal government’s calls for to manage Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its college and college students,” the submitting said.
Trump signed the proclamation on Wednesday afternoon, invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act to ban the entry of noncitizens from getting into the U.S. to review at Harvard for at the least six months. Trump argued the establishment is “not a reliable steward” of worldwide college students.
The proclamation additionally directed the secretary of state to contemplate revoking the visas of international college students already within the U.S. to review at Harvard.
“I’ve decided that the entry of the category of international nationals described above is detrimental to the pursuits of the USA as a result of, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable vacation spot for international college students and researchers,” the proclamation mentioned.
The transfer marked an escalation within the Trump administration’s ongoing feud with Harvard.
Final month, the Division of Homeland Safety tried to revoke Harvard’s Pupil and Trade Customer Program — which permits the varsity to sponsor international college students – however a federal choose issued a temporary order blocking the transfer.
Whereas the Trump administration backtracked on the transfer by giving Harvard 30 days to contest the revocation, U.S. District Decide Allison Burroughs mentioned she would problem a preliminary injunction final week briefly prohibiting the Trump administration from proscribing the varsity’s means to host worldwide college students.
Trump justified the brand new proclamation Wednesday by claiming Harvard has refused to offer details about worldwide college students, has “in depth entanglements with international nations,” and has discriminated of their admissions practices. The proclamation additionally claimed crime charges have “drastically risen” on the college and requires the federal government to probe the potential misconduct of international college students.
“These issues have compelled the Federal Authorities to conclude that Harvard College is not a reliable steward of worldwide pupil and alternate customer applications,” the proclamation mentioned.
