Judge blocks US order barring Harvard from enrolling foreign students
A federal judge in the United States blocked an order by the Donald Trump administration barring Harvard University from enrolling international students..
District Judge Jeffrey White halted the decision announced via X yesterday by Kristi Noem, secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security.
But the 87-year Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts and the oldest institution of higher learning in the US, had, before the court order, called the restriction “unlawful.”
Noem, in the statement, cited the university’s failure to stem “violence, anti-semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus” as reasons for the action.
The Homeland Department secretary said: “This decertification also means that existing aliens on F- or J-non-immigrant status must transfer to another university in order to maintain their non-immigrant status.
“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
Harvard has been embroiled in a funding row with the Donald Trump administration, resulting from its refusal to comply with the president’s demands.
Trump had asked that the university audit professors for plagiarism and report international students accused of misconduct, no matter the degree.
Harvard also refused to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
As part of the consequences, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard last month.
Early this month, the education department threatened that Harvard would no longer receive research grants.
But Harvard flayed the revocation order, saying: “We are fully committed to maintaining our ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university – and this nation – immeasurably.”
“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community,” the university added in a statement.
It said the “ retaliatory action’’ by the government threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
Over the past decade, Harvard has continued to record an increase in the number of international students.
For the 2024/2025 academic year, foreign students accounted for 27.2 per cent of Harvard’s student’ population.
