Harvard University escalated its legal battle against the Trump administration on Thursday, amending an existing lawsuit to challenge a new White House proclamation that bars new foreign students from entering the United States to attend the university, AFP reports.
The proclamation, issued late Wednesday, suspends and limits the entrance of international students to Harvard for six months, with a warning that existing foreign enrollees risk visa termination.
The administration’s order stated, "Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers."
In its amended complaint filed in federal court, Harvard asserted that "this is not the Administration's first attempt to sever Harvard from its international students."
The university further described the action as "part of a concerted and escalating campaign of retaliation by the government in clear retribution for Harvard's exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students."
On Thursday night, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked Trump from barring US entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University.
In a two-page temporary restraining order granted to Harvard, US District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that Trump’s directive prohibiting foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard for the next six months would cause “immediate and irreparable injury” before the courts have a chance to review the case.
This latest move follows earlier administration efforts to restrict Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students, which were previously stalled by a judge. Harvard had initiated a lawsuit against those efforts on May 23.
Previously, the Trump administration officially revoked $2.2 billion in federal funding previously allocated to Harvard University, citing the institution's failure to address antisemitism and alleged racial discrimination on campus.
In addition to the funding cuts, Trump has also advocated for revoking the university's tax-exempt status.
Last week, the Trump administration announced plans to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard University, amounting to approximately $100 million, over the institution's alleged failure to adequately address antisemitism and racial discrimination on campus.
Several weeks ago, Harvard published two internal reviews detailing incidents of discrimination against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab students during last year’s protests. The reports found that some students feared marginalization for expressing political views.