A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration's attempt to halt admissions of international students at Harvard, an Ivy League school that denounced as an unconstitutional response to ignoring White House policy demands.
In a lawsuit filed earlier Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government's actions violate the First Amendment and will result in “immediate and devastating consequences for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
“With one signature, the government attempted to eliminate a quarter of Harvard’s student body—international students who make significant contributions to the University and its mission,” Harvard’s lawsuit says.
“Harvard is not Harvard without international students.”
The temporary restraining order was issued by U.S. District Judge Allison Burrows.
Trump administration actions led to campus chaos days before graduation, Harvard lawsuit alleges.
International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors and compete in Harvard athletics must now decide whether to transfer or risk losing their legal status by remaining in the country, according to the statement.
The most serious impact is on institutions like Harvard Kennedy School, where nearly half of the student body is international, and Harvard Business School, where about a third of the student body is international.
In addition to impacting current students, the move blocks thousands of students who had planned to attend summer and fall classes.
Harvard noted that this immediately puts the university at a disadvantage as it competes for the best students from around the world. Even if it were able to restore admissions, “prospective applicants may be discouraged from applying for fear of further government reprisals,” the lawsuit said.
If the government's actions continue, Harvard officials say the university will not be able to accept new international students for at least the next two academic years.
Harvard also noted that schools whose certification has been revoked by the federal government cannot reapply for a year.
Harvard hosts nearly 6,800 international students on its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students, and they come from more than 100 countries.
The Department of Homeland Security made the announcement Thursday, accusing Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist activists” to attack Jewish students on campus.
It also alleges that Harvard is collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party, as the university allegedly hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as early as 2024.
Earlier this month, Harvard President Alan Garber said the university had made changes to its policies over the past year and a half, including a broad strategy to combat anti-Semitism.
He stressed that Harvard would not back down from its “core, legally protected principles” for fear of retribution. Harvard said it would later respond to allegations first made by House Republicans about cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party.
The threat to international admissions at Harvard comes after an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded the university provide information on international students that might indicate their involvement in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.
Harvard said it had provided “thousands of data points” in response to Ms. Noem’s April 16 request. Her letter on Thursday said Harvard had not honored her request, but the university said it had not received any further clarification.
“It makes generalized statements about the campus climate and 'anti-Americanism' without providing any logical connection between those statements and the decision to retaliate against international students,” the lawsuit says.
Harvard's lawsuit alleges that the administration violated the government's own rules regarding de-certification of a school.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
