US Judge Extends Order Blocking Harvard Foreign Students Ban

Ruling a Victory for University Under Attack by Trump Administration

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BOSTON — A federal judge said on May 29 she would extend an order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from immediately revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a victory for the Ivy League school that is entangled in multiple battles with the administration.

US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston announced her intention to issue a preliminary injunction, six days after she first granted Harvard a temporary order blocking the Trump administration's move.

As the court hearing unfolded on May 29, thousands of Harvard students were receiving their degrees at the school's commencement ceremony on campus about 8km away.

University president Alan Garber, who received a standing ovation, welcomed graduating students "from down the street, across the country and around the world," drawing applause for the last words. "Around the world — just as it should be," he added.

The Trump administration has launched a multi-front attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants.

Revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students would be damaging, the school says. More than a quarter of the student body is international; nearly 60 percent of the graduate students at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School hail from other countries.

The attack on Harvard is part of the administration's broader effort to pressure higher education institutions to align with its policy agenda.