Harvard Sues Trump Administration For Barring Enrolment Of Foreign Students

Harvard University on Friday sued the US administration towards its determination to revoke its eligibility to enrol worldwide college students, in an escalation of the combat between President Donald Trump and the distinguished college.

In an announcement, Harvard President Dr Alan M Garber condemned the “illegal and unwarranted motion”, and stated the Ivy League college has filed a authorized petition for a restraint order on the revocation. 

“We condemn this illegal and unwarranted motion. It imperils the futures of 1000’s of scholars and students throughout Harvard and serves as a warning to numerous others at faculties and universities all through the nation who’ve come to America to pursue their training and fulfill their goals,” Mr Garber stated.

“We have simply filed a criticism, and a movement for a short lived restraining order will observe. As we pursue authorized cures, we are going to do every part in our energy to help our college students and students. The Harvard International Office will present periodic updates as new info turns into out there,” he added. 

The transfer got here hours after the Donald Trump administration revoked Harvard’s proper to enrol foreign nationals, beneath a federal authorities scheme known as the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). More than 6,000 worldwide college students had been enrolled at Harvard throughout the 2024-2025 educational yr, representing 27.3% of the scholar physique, the college stated.

This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.

It is a privilege, not a proper, for universities to enroll overseas college students and profit from their larger tuition funds… pic.twitter.com/12hJWd1J86

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 22, 2025

Last month, Mr Trump had threatened to undertake such a transfer, if the college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, didn’t comply with authorities calls for that may put the non-public establishment beneath exterior political supervision. The authorities stated the ban on overseas college students will be revoked if the varsity fulfills a series of conditions laid down by Mr Trump inside 72 hours.

“The authorities has claimed that its harmful motion relies on Harvard’s failure to adjust to requests for info from the US Department of Homeland Security. In reality, Harvard did reply to the Department’s requests as required by regulation,” Mr Garber stated in his assertion. 

The Trump administration has for weeks locked horns with Harvard and different larger training establishments over claims that they tolerate anti-Semitism on their campuses – threatening their budgets, tax-exempt standing and enrolment of overseas college students. 

It isn’t for the primary time Harvard has approached the courtroom towards the federal government. In April, it had challenged the administration’s determination to freeze $2.3 billion in funding. Mr Garber stated the college “won’t give up its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights”. 

In its lawsuit filed within the US District Court for the Massachusetts district on Friday, Harvard University stated it had obtained the certification to enrol overseas college students beneath the F-1 visa – non-immigrant visa within the US that enables worldwide college students to enter the nation for the aim of pursuing educational research – program for greater than 70 years.

“Yesterday, the federal government abruptly revoked that certification with out course of or trigger, to fast and devastating impact for Harvard and greater than 7,000 visa holders. This revocation is a blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act,” it stated.

The American college stated the revocation was “the newest act by the federal government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the federal government’s calls for to manage Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its college and college students.” 

“With the stroke of a pen, the federal government has sought to erase 1 / 4 of Harvard’s scholar physique, worldwide college students who contribute considerably to the University and its mission,” the varsity stated.

Earlier within the day, Harvard said the US authorities’s transfer is a retaliatory motion that threatens “critical hurt” to the college.