Judge extends order blocking Trump's attempt to bar Harvard from enrolling foreign students

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 29, 2025 1:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Harvard graduates celebrated commencement connected Thursday astatine a pivotal clip for the Ivy League school, arsenic a federal justice extended an bid blocking U.S. President Donald Trump administration's effort to barroom the university from enrolling overseas students.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs extended the artifact she imposed past week with a impermanent restraining bid connected the authorities action. Harvard sued the Department of Homeland Security past week aft Secretary Kristi Noem revoked its quality to big overseas students astatine its field successful Cambridge, Mass.

On Thursday, the Trump medication announced a caller effort to revoke Harvard's certification to enrol foreign students. In a missive sent by the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Todd Lyons, the authorities gave Harvard 30 days to respond to the alleged grounds for withdrawal, which see accusations that Harvard co-ordinated with overseas entities and failed to respond sufficiently to antisemitism connected campus.

On campus, graduating students cheered speakers who stressed the value of maintaining a divers and planetary pupil assemblage portion lasting up for the truth.

While different schools person faced the nonaccomplishment of national backing and their quality to enrol international students if they don't hold to the Trump administration's shifting demands, Harvard, founded much than a period earlier the federation itself, has taken the pb successful defying the White House successful court.

WATCH | Judge halts Trump's effort to artifact overseas students astatine Harvard:

'Diversity is our strength'

Harvard president Alan Garber, who has repeatedly defended the school's actions, didn't straight interaction connected the Trump
medication threats erstwhile helium addressed the graduates Thursday. But helium did get a rousing applause erstwhile helium referenced the university's planetary reach, noting that it is "just arsenic it should be."

Several of the graduating speakers spoke much straight astir the challenges facing the schoolhouse and society.

Speaking successful Latin, salutatorian Aidan Robert Scully delivered a code laced with references to Trump policies.

"I accidental this: … Neither powers nor princes tin alteration the information and contradict that diverseness is our strength," Scully said.

It was a sentiment echoed by Yurong Luanna Jiang, a Chinese postgraduate who studied planetary development.  

"When I met my 77 classmates from 32 antithetic countries, the countries I knew lone arsenic colourful shapes connected a representation turned into existent people, with laughter, dreams and the perseverance to past the agelong wintertime successful Cambridge," she said of the different students successful her planetary improvement program.

Praise for school's president

On Wednesday, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the "Class Day" speaker, and the hoops fable and activistic specifically called retired the actions of Garber for praise.

"After seeing truthful galore cowering billionaires, media moguls, instrumentality firms, politicians and different universities crook their genu to an medication that is systematically strip-mining the U.S. Constitution, it is inspiring to maine to spot Harvard University instrumentality a basal for freedom," helium continued.

The administration's threats person included pulling national funds that are allocated for technological and aesculapian research.

"Shutting disconnected that enactment does not assistance the country, adjacent arsenic it punishes Harvard, and it is hard to spot the nexus betwixt that and, say, antisemitism," Garber said this week successful an interrogation with NPR.

Garber commissioned interior reports connected antisemitism and anti-Arab prejudice astatine the schoolhouse past year, a twelvemonth successful which Harvard students acceptable up tents called connected the assemblage to divest from companies supporting Israel's military, which has levelled Gaza successful effect to attacks by Hamas. Hundreds of graduating students past year walked retired commencement chanting "Free, escaped Palestine."

This year, the anti-war demonstrations person mostly faded from view, but protesters held a soundless vigil a fewer hours earlier Thursday's ceremony. Holding signs that work "Ceasefire Now" and "Not Another Bomb," protesters stood silently on the walls of Harvard.

Students look uncertainty, harassment: Harvard official

In April, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent a missive to the schoolhouse demanding a scope of records related to overseas students, including subject records and thing related to "dangerous oregon convulsive activity."

Harvard says it complied. But connected May 22, Noem sent a missive saying the school's effect fell short. She said Harvard was being pulled from the national programme that allows colleges to sponsor planetary students to get U.S. visas. It took effect instantly and prevented Harvard from hosting overseas students successful the upcoming schoolhouse year.

WATCH | Canadian students astatine Harvard successful wait-and-see mode: 

In its lawsuit, Harvard argued that the authorities failed to travel administrative procedures and regulations that dictate however schools whitethorn beryllium removed from eligibility to big planetary students, which including giving schools the accidental to entreaty and a 30-day model to respond. Wednesday's announcement is successful enactment with those regulations.

Already, contempt the restraining order, the Trump administration's efforts to halt Harvard from enrolling planetary students person created an situation of "profound fear, concern and confusion," the university's manager of migration services said successful a tribunal filing connected Wednesday.

Martin besides said that planetary Harvard students arriving successful Boston were sent to further screening by Customs and Border Protection agents, and that planetary students seeking to get their visas were being denied oregon facing delays astatine consulates and embassies.

Separately, the Trump medication has announced plans to curtail pupil visas from China, careless of their intended destination successful the U.S. for post-secondary education.