Harvard sues US over Trump's international student ban
At Harvard, more than a quarter of its total student body, or 6,800 students, come from other countries. PHOTO: SOPHIE PARK/NYTIMES
Harvard University sued the Trump administration over its move to block the school from enrolling international students, ratcheting up a high-stakes legal fight with broad implications for higher education in the US.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in Massachusetts federal court on May 23, the university said the move violates its First Amendment and due process rights, among others.
'We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,' Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement. 'It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.'
The White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration on May 22 blocked Harvard from enrolling international students, delivering a major blow to the school and escalating its fight with elite colleges to unprecedented levels.
The US revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor program certification, meaning foreign students can no longer attend the university. Existing international students must transfer or lose their legal status, the Department of Homeland Security said on May 22.
The school earlier sued several US agencies for blocking federal funds after the government demanded it remake its governance, transform admissions and faculty hiring, stop admitting international students it says are hostile to US values and enforce viewpoint diversity.
The government's action has thrust thousands of international students into limbo. Both the suddenness and timing of the move – after acceptance letters for the fall term have been sent out and left current and future attendees struggling to figure out what to do next.
The blockade on international student enrollment will compound the financial pressures for Harvard. The Trump administration has frozen more than US$2.6 billion of Harvard's funding and cut off future grants in an increasingly contentious standoff over the school's handling of alleged antisemitism on campus and government demands for more oversight.
'With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,' Harvard wrote in its complaint.
Harvard said in the suit that it has been certified by the federal government to enroll international students for more than 70 years.
Over that time, it said, it has 'developed programs and degrees tailored to its international students, invested millions to recruit the most talented such students and integrated its international students into all aspects of the Harvard community. Yesterday, the government abruptly revoked that certification without process or cause, to immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.'
At Harvard almost 6,800 students - 27 per cent of the entire student body – come from other countries, up from 19.6 per cent in 2006, according to the university's data.
Effective immediately, most of Harvard's thousands of enrolled F-1 and J-1 visa students will have little choice but to secure transfer to another school or be rendered without lawful status in the US. Harvard can no longer sponsor those visa holders for its upcoming summer and fall terms, despite having admitted thousands, and countless academic programs, research laboratories, clinics, and courses supported by Harvard's international students have been thrown into disarray.
The case is President and Fellows of Harvard College v. Department of Homeland Security, 25-cv-11472, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston). BLOOMBERG
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