US judge blocks Trump administration from revoking Harvard University enrollment of foreign students

A US judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's attempt to revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll international students.

Boston-based US District Judge Allison Burroughs agreed to halt the revocation until she can receive further arguments.

The order came right after Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

"We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars," Alan M. Garber, the university president, said in a letter.

Harvard condemned the move, calling it "unlawful and unwarranted."

The complaint noted that the revocation is part of a broader campaign to punish the university for "its refusal to surrender its academic independence or relinquish its constitutional rights."

"Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," it stated.

Burroughs noted Harvard's warning that “it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there is an opportunity to hear from all parties.”

The Trump administration may appeal Burroughs' ruling.

The revocation, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday, strips Harvard of its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), affecting both F- and J-visa holders.

"I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked," Noem said in a letter.

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

Health and Human Services (HHS) said Monday it is terminating $60 million in federal grants to Harvard.

The Trump administration has already frozen more than $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard and $60 million in contracts.

The administration has threatened to freeze federal funding for many universities, including Harvard, citing campus protests in support of Palestine and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.