Washington: A US federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to revoke Harvard University’s certification to enrol international students, delivering a significant legal setback just hours after the Ivy League institution filed a lawsuit against the government.
The court’s decision comes a day after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cancelled Harvard’s access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a critical platform used to manage data on international students. The move was part of a broader escalation by President Donald Trump’s administration against Harvard, amid ongoing tensions over the university’s policies and protests on campus.
As part of the DHS action, Harvard was informed that all its international students must either transfer to another institution or risk losing their legal immigration status. The decision threatened the academic futures of thousands of students, including approximately 780 Indian nationals studying or conducting research at Harvard.
In its lawsuit filed on Friday morning, Harvard sharply criticised the government’s decision. “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body—international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,” the university stated. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Harvard President Alan M. Garber condemned the DHS action in a letter to the university community, calling it “unlawful and unwarranted.” He warned that the decision “imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.”
The Trump administration has also suspended all federal funding to Harvard and moved to revoke its tax-exempt status, citing the university’s handling of recent pro-Palestine protests and alleged failures to protect Jewish students. The administration has taken similar stances against other prominent institutions, including Columbia University.
According to the lawsuit, the DHS had previously demanded extensive information from Harvard concerning its approximately 7,000 foreign students across 13 schools. The university complied, yet on May 22, the department dismissed Harvard’s response as “insufficient,” without offering any detailed explanation or citing specific regulatory shortcomings.
The court’s swift intervention to block the DHS order marks a key moment in the intensifying clash between leading academic institutions and the federal government over immigration, education policy, and free expression on campus.
With IANS inputs