A federal judge has dealt another blow to the Trump administration’s escalating standoff with Harvard University, halting its latest attempt to block the Ivy League school from enrolling international students. The ruling preserves Harvard’s ability to host foreign scholars for now, while a larger legal battle over political retaliation and immigration control plays out in court.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued an order pausing the administration’s move to strip Harvard of its certification to host international students. The decision protects the school’s ability to welcome thousands of non-U.S. enrollees, at least temporarily, though it does not eliminate all legal threats facing the institution.
While acknowledging that the Department of Homeland Security still holds statutory power to evaluate Harvard’s visa privileges, Judge Burroughs found the administration’s actions alarming enough to justify judicial intervention.
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Harvard’s lawsuit against the federal government was filed in May, after Homeland Security abruptly revoked the school’s authorization to enroll foreign students, a move that sidestepped routine procedures and, according to the university, amounted to political punishment. The revocation endangered roughly 7,000 international students at Harvard, potentially forcing them to leave the country or violate immigration laws.
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The university claims this was retribution for its refusal to comply with demands from the White House to reshape internal policies governing admissions, hiring, protests, and other campus matters. Burroughs initially granted a temporary injunction within hours of the lawsuit, staving off immediate consequences.
Then, in a swift pivot, President Donald Trump issued a separate presidential proclamation in early June, this time invoking different legal grounds to deny international students entry to Harvard altogether. Again, Burroughs intervened with an emergency order, freezing that policy too, though she did not address the proclamation in her most recent ruling.
In an email sent to international students following Friday’s decision, Harvard reassured recipients of its continued efforts: “We expect the judge to issue a more enduring decision in the coming days,” the university wrote. “Our Schools will continue to make contingency plans toward ensuring that our international students and scholars can pursue their academic work to the fullest extent possible, should there be a change to student visa eligibility or their ability to enroll at Harvard.”
The administration’s actions have not only sparked widespread uncertainty but have also triggered emotional fallout. According to Harvard’s immigration services director, Maureen Martin, students are deeply anxious — with some considering transfers.
“Profound fear, concern, and confusion” now surround the university’s global student population, Harvard argued in court.
Yet despite the tension, many applicants remain hopeful. One such student is Huang, a prospective Ph.D. candidate who turned to Harvard after federal cuts cost her a scholarship at Vanderbilt University.
“Your personal effort and capability means nothing in this era,” she wrote in a social media post, still waiting for visa approval weeks after her interview. “Why does it have to be so hard to go to school?”
Meanwhile, President Trump continued to frame the conflict as a matter of national correction. In a post on Truth Social, he insisted that “the administration has been working with Harvard to address their largescale improprieties” and suggested a resolution could be announced soon.
“They have acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right,” the president added.
But Harvard maintains the measures are ideologically driven. The Department of Homeland Security’s April directive demanded that Harvard turn over broad data on foreign students suspected of illegal activity. Harvard complied, it said, but Secretary Kristi Noem declared the response insufficient, and in May, stripped the school of its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
The repercussions have been swift. Harvard’s lawsuit argues that the sanctions tarnished its reputation as a global academic leader.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the school said in its complaint.
International academic institutions have responded with solidarity. Two universities in Hong Kong offered to take in displaced students. The impact was particularly stark at Harvard’s graduate schools, many of which rely heavily on international recruitment.
Harvard President Alan Garber, acknowledging criticism over antisemitism on campus, said the school is making internal changes but will not capitulate on core values.
He maintained that Harvard would stand by its “core, legally-protected principles,” even in the face of federal ultimatums.
