1 day Ago
The Trump administration sought to bar international students from coming to the United States to study at Harvard, arguing that doing so would pose national security risks. This decision came in response to a previous announcement by the Department of Homeland Security that it intends to rescind Harvard’s ability to welcome international students to study on its Cambridge campus.
Judge Burroughs has also temporarily blocked that revocation, and she is still deciding whether to let it remain in operation during the pendency of the case.
Harvard and the Government: Harvard Accuses the Government of Political Revenge
Harvard’s lawyer, Ian Gershengorn, argued during the hearing on Monday that the administration was directing its attacks on the wrong stage. He said President Trump was treating international students “as pawns” and overstepped his authority in what was a broader conflict with Harvard. “There is no finding that Harvard is unsafe,” Gershengorn said.
Tensions between Trump and Harvard have grown for months. When the university rejected multiple federal requests, the administration took the extraordinary step of slashing more than $2.6 billion in research funding and canceling federal contracts and also threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
The dust-up escalated in April, when Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, requested that Harvard turn over documents regarding purported wrongdoing by foreign students. Harvard provided records, but Noem said she didn’t think Harvard’s response was sufficient and she canceled the school’s participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program on May 22.
The lawsuit says that this has damaged Harvard’s reputation and its ability to draw top students from around the world. Some graduate programs, which are more dependent on foreign enrollment, maybe even more severely affected.
Courtroom Drama and Statements by Both Sides
At the Monday hearing, the Trump administration had one attorney present from the Department of Justice, Tiberius Davis, and Harvard had six. Judge Burroughs pointed that out to Davis and asked him what the administration’s objective was.
Davis said in recent months several universities have been evaluated and other universities could be in a better position as a host colleges for international students. “The power is with Harvard to remedy this,” he said.
"In recent years, Harvard and I have spoken out forcefully against antisemitism and efforts to place the state of Israel and Jewish people off limits at our university, and we will continue to do so, notwithstanding pressure from the federal government." In its legal filings, the university stressed that it is “not Harvard” without its international students.
As the matter proceeds, the court’s decision on the motion for the preliminary injunction will determine whether Harvard may continue to welcome foreign students while the broader legal issues are further litigated.
