Federal Judge Sides with Harvard in Battle Over Foreign Student Enrollment

📰 Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Bid to Bar Harvard from Hosting International Students

A federal judge on Friday dealt a blow to the Trump administration by blocking its effort to bar Harvard University from hosting international students — a legal win for the Ivy League school amid intensifying conflict with the White House.

Judge Allison Burroughs issued the ruling in Boston, preserving Harvard’s ability to host and enroll its 7,000+ foreign students, who make up roughly a quarter of its enrollment. The injunction follows a lawsuit Harvard filed after the Department of Homeland Security revoked its SEVP certification, a move that could have forced students to leave the U.S. or abandon their Harvard admission.

Harvard claims the sanction was illegal retaliation for the university’s refusal to comply with White House demands — including sweeping changes to policies on protests, admissions, and hiring.

The court’s order is the second temporary block by Judge Burroughs in the escalating back-and-forth: earlier this month, she stopped a separate Trump directive that would’ve barred new foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard.

The case has left thousands of international students in limbo, with Harvard reporting widespread fear, confusion, and even inquiries about transferring.

The administration has ramped up pressure on Harvard, slashing $2.6 billion in research funding, canceling contracts, and threatening to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also demanded detailed records of potential misconduct by foreign students — a request Harvard says it tried to fulfill, though DHS deemed the response inadequate.

Harvard argues the loss of its foreign student population would damage its reputation as a global academic leader. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the university said.

President Alan Garber affirmed the school’s commitment to fighting antisemitism but made clear that Harvard would not abandon its “core, legally protected principles” under political pressure.