A federal judge in Boston has decided to extend a restraining order on President Donald Trump’s efforts to prevent international students from coming to the U.S. to study at Harvard University. This ruling, made on Monday, serves as a temporary win for the well-established institution in an ongoing legal conflict with the Trump administration.
Harvard’s legal representatives requested U.S. District Judge Alison Burrows to maintain two restraining orders that aim to stop the Trump administration from revoking Harvard’s eligibility under the Student Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP). They specifically addressed Trump’s declarations that barred foreign students from entering the U.S. if they intended to study or conduct research at Harvard.
In court, Harvard attorney Ian Gershengore described the administration’s actions as a clear infringement on the First Amendment and appealed for a more lasting injunction. Judge Burrows extended the temporary restraining order until June 23, insisting that more time was needed to assess the request for permanent relief.
“We will issue our opinions as quickly as we can,” she remarked during the proceedings.
The case revolves around the Trump administration’s attempts to rescind Harvard’s SEVP certification, announced by DHS Executive Director Kristi Noem, which would significantly impact international student enrollment. Burrows has previously blocked attempts to enforce these actions temporarily.
According to Harvard’s lawyers, the administration’s meddling has created an atmosphere of confusion for international students. Some students, they argued, had faced incorrect visa denials simply for stating their intent to study at Harvard. Moreover, there have been incidents where students were unjustly detained by U.S. officials upon their arrival at Logan International Airport in Boston.
Adding more complexity, Trump’s administration has criticized Harvard for allegedly failing to address “known illegal activities” on its campus, linking such claims to violence and associations with the Chinese Communist Party.
Harvard, meanwhile, is striving to keep its SEVP certification, which is crucial for sponsoring international students on U.S. visas. Losing that certification could have dire consequences for about 7,000 international students enrolled at the university, which represents nearly 27% of the student body. Experts have previously noted that if certification is lifted, students would have a narrow timeframe—180 days—to transfer to another university or risk losing their student visa.
This latest hearing marks another chapter in the legal tussles between Harvard and the Trump administration, continuing a trend that has persisted throughout Trump’s second term.
Since taking office, the administration has frozen over $2 billion in contracts and grants awarded to Harvard and is reinforcing scrutiny across multiple federal agencies, creating a landscape of uncertainty for the university.
Legal analysts have emphasized that this situation is uncharted territory. Many have stated that Trump’s actions lack precedent, indicating that answers are elusive. Law professor Josh Blackman noted, “There hasn’t been a precedent for this type of maneuver, which makes it difficult to predict the outcome.”
