Judge blocks Trump’s international student ban targeting Harvard
3 Min Read
A federal judge blocked Trump’s proclamation barring Harvard’s foreign students, citing lack of evidence for national security claims and potential legal overreach.
-
The Widener Library during Harvard’s 374th commencement in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2025 (Rick Friedman/AFP)
A federal judge in Boston has blocked US President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring international students at Harvard from entering the United States. The court decision comes amid intensifying legal clashes between the Trump administration and the Ivy League institution.
Judge Allison Burroughs issued the ruling after Harvard filed a motion arguing that Trump had violated federal law by failing to substantiate claims that its foreign students posed a national security threat.
The university stated in its legal filing that the ban unlawfully denied thousands of students the right to pursue education and infringed on the school’s right to teach them.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the university wrote, adding that the Trump proclamation failed to prevent the same individuals from entering the US through other channels.
Judge halts Trump proclamation banning Harvard’s international students
The legal action is part of a Harvard lawsuit triggered by the administration’s attempts to suspend the school’s ability to host international students.
Trump’s proclamation, issued Wednesday, accused Harvard of ties to foreign adversaries and of fostering a climate of radicalism, claims the university denies.
The ruling by Judge Allison Burroughs temporarily halts enforcement of the ban, pending further litigation.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Harvard as “a hotbed of anti-American, antisemitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” echoing the administration’s previous Harvard national security accusation narrative. The university rejected these statements as politically motivated and unsupported by evidence.
Harvard also argued in court that the proclamation was a thinly veiled attempt to sidestep a previous court order blocking similar measures.
“This is a patent effort to do an end-run around this Court’s order,” Harvard said in its Thursday filing.
The directive would have initially barred foreign students from entering for six months but included provisions for indefinite extension. Trump’s order also instructed the State Department to consider revoking the academic or exchange visas of current Harvard students.
Broader campaign against Harvard raises retaliation concerns
This legal clash is the latest in a retaliation campaign by the Trump administration targeting Harvard. Over recent months, the White House has sought to freeze billions in grant funding and has threatened to strip the university of its tax-exempt status.
The university has interpreted these moves as political retaliation for refusing to alter its governance structure and academic independence.
The proclamation also cited unverified claims of rising campus crime and alleged failures to discipline foreign students engaged in illegal or dangerous behavior, claims Harvard dismissed as unsubstantiated.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had previously attempted to revoke Harvard’s visa certification unilaterally. That move was also blocked by Judge Burroughs, prompting the administration to pursue a lengthier administrative challenge, until Trump’s latest proclamation sought to reassert the ban through executive authority.
Harvard’s refusal to comply with SEVP oversight was the latest evidence that it disdains the American people and takes for granted U.S. taxpayer benefits. Following our letter to Harvard, the school attempted to claim it now wishes to comply with SEVP standards.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 29, 2025
We continue to… pic.twitter.com/6yg0roqqf5
For now, Trump’s Harvard international student ban remains on hold, pending further judicial review.
