Harvard University has filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration from enforcing a proclamation that bars its international students and researchers from entering the United States. The move intensifies an already tense legal standoff between the university and the federal government.
In an amended complaint, Harvard asked a federal judge to immediately halt the order, which the administration justified by alleging national security risks tied to foreign student misconduct and ties to China.
The lawsuit builds on a previous challenge filed in May after the U.S. revoked Harvard’s ability to sponsor student visas.
President Trump’s executive action accused Harvard of being an unreliable steward of international programs, citing rising campus crime and concerns about research collaborations with Chinese institutions.
The order places a six-month suspension on foreign students and scholars entering for research and tasks Secretary of State Marco Rubio with reviewing whether to cancel the visas of those already in the U.S. Exceptions could be made for those deemed in the national interest.
Harvard President Alan Garber expressed hope for a swift court ruling and said contingency plans are underway to support affected students and scholars. With international students comprising 27% of the university’s population, the proclamation has deeply affected Harvard’s academic community.
Undergraduate student body president Abdullah Shahid Sial, now in Pakistan, said the policy has made international students feel “unwelcome.”
In the lawsuit, Harvard’s lawyers accuse the government of retaliating against the university for exercising its First Amendment rights and refusing to align with Trump’s demands concerning university governance, curriculum, and campus ideology.
The school also claims the administration’s actions aim to bypass a previous court order that temporarily protected its participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
This legal battle is part of a broader campaign by Trump targeting elite universities.
In a separate case, Harvard is also suing over the federal government freezing more than $2.6 billion in funding. The president has threatened to cap Harvard’s foreign student population at 15%, revoke its tax-exempt status, and cancel its federal contracts.
On the same day as the latest proclamation, the administration also took steps to strip Columbia University of its accreditation. The ongoing dispute may ultimately reach the Supreme Court, which in 2018 upheld Trump’s authority to restrict immigration.
