Saturday, March 29, 2025
In a significant legal setback for the Trump administration, a federal judge on Friday issued an injunction halting the government’s attempt to prevent international students from enrolling at Harvard University. The ruling, made by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, delivers major relief to thousands of aspiring students worldwide who had planned to study at one of America’s most prestigious institutions.
Harvard University had previously filed a lawsuit in the federal court in Boston, challenging the administration’s move as unconstitutional. The university argued that the government’s actions violated the First Amendment and would cause immediate and irreparable harm to Harvard’s operations and to over 7,000 students currently holding visas.
The attempt to restrict foreign admissions, if implemented, would have had the most significant impact on graduate and professional schools such as the Harvard Kennedy School, where nearly half the student body comes from abroad, and the Harvard Business School, where about a third of the students are international. Harvard enrolls approximately 6,800 foreign students from over 100 countries, the majority of whom are graduate-level scholars.
The Trump administration had announced the proposed policy on Thursday, justifying it on grounds of national security. It accused Harvard of fostering an unsafe campus environment by allowing anti-Israel protestors to target Jewish students and of allegedly cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party. Officials cited these reasons as justification for suspending foreign student admissions.
However, Harvard strongly rebuked these claims. University President Alan Garber emphasized earlier this month that the university has enacted significant administrative changes over the past year and a half to counter antisemitism, and is committed to ensuring a safe and inclusive campus. He affirmed that Harvard will not back down from its foundational legal principles despite political pressure and will soon respond to the House Republicans’ accusations regarding its alleged China ties.
Harvard’s administration maintained its commitment to admitting talented international students and scholars, noting their crucial role in strengthening the institution and the broader American academic community. “We remain dedicated to preserving our ability to admit the best minds from around the world,” a university spokesperson said.
The federal court’s decision to suspend the government’s directive is seen as a victory not only for Harvard but also for academic freedom and the thousands of international students who contribute intellectually and culturally to U.S. universities.
