Latest news with #Burroughs
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Judge bars efforts to block foreign students
A federal judge yesterday blocked United States President Donald Trump from taking action to prevent Harvard University from enrolling foreign students amid a still-mushrooming feud between the White House and the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic institution. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs told the government she would issue an order to indefinitely prevent the White House from stopping the Ivy League school from hosting thousands of international students while the legal fight plays out. The ruling extended her order from last week that paused Trump's effort to strip Harvard of its certification to host foreign students and threats to revoke the visas of its students. Burroughs asked both sides to propose language for an order on the issue. The judge's action came as the White House shows little sign of backing down in its scrap with Harvard, which it accuses of being a hotbed of woke liberalism and a haven for student protests against Israel's war in Gaza that improperly target Jewish students. Even as Burroughs issued her ruling, the Trump administration sent a letter to Harvard giving it 30 days to respond to the accusations including claims that the university supposedly co-ordinated with China and failed to respond sufficiently to anti-Semitism on campus. — TCA
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Harvard wins temporary reprieve from Trump administration's foreign students ban. What happens now?
A US federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to strip Harvard of its license to host foreign students, calling into question the legality of the government's retaliation. As international scholars face travel delays, cancelled visas and political uncertainty, what happens next? read more A student wears an academic cap reading "Protect International Students" during Harvard University's 374th Commencement Exercises in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, May 29, 2025. File Image/Reuters A United States federal judge has extended a crucial legal block against the Trump administration's move to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students, offering the Ivy League institution temporary reprieve. On Thursday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs, who presides in Boston, announced she would issue a preliminary injunction to preserve Harvard's ability to sponsor international students while the case unravels in court, shielding t housands of students from potential deportation and academic disruption. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD What's behind the Harvard vs Trump clash Harvard's clash with the Trump administration forms part of a wider, ongoing confrontation between elite academic institutions and federal authorities. The government has, in recent months, escalated efforts to scrutinise Ivy League universities on grounds ranging from antisemitism and political bias to alleged foreign ties. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had earlier ordered the immediate revocation of Harvard's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which governs the eligibility of academic institutions to host international students on US visas. A May 22 letter from DHS cited failure to comply with federal information requests and alleged involvement in activities ranging from fostering antisemitism to coordination with the Chinese Communist Party — claims that Harvard has denied. In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit accusing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of violating administrative procedures and retaliating against the university for political reasons. The legal filing highlighted the university's belief in academic freedom and constitutional protections. In its court filing, Harvard described DHS's move as an 'unprecedented and retaliatory attack on academic freedom,' and claimed that the school was being punished for refusing to align its internal policies and governance with the administration's political agenda. Why judge ruled in favour of Harvard During the hearing, Judge Burroughs, an appointee of former US President Barack Obama, expressed doubt over the government's handling of the matter. She questioned whether DHS had fully complied with her prior temporary restraining order and highlighted a declaration from Harvard stating that some international student visas had already been revoked despite the order being in effect. Burroughs said she would maintain the restraining order as both sides worked out the terms of a preliminary injunction. She also expressed concern that the legal battle might ultimately return to the same point of conflict even after administrative procedures were followed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Aren't we still going to end up back here at the same place?' she asked, signalling scepticism that the government's 30-day notice to Harvard constituted a meaningful departure from its earlier approach. The administration's revised stance came just hours before the court session, with DHS now offering Harvard a 30-day window to respond to its accusations and prove that it remains compliant with SEVP standards. This shift marked a retreat from its initial order, which had taken immediate effect and bypassed standard procedural safeguards. Despite the shift, Harvard maintains that the government's revised letter still fails to provide legal grounding or identify specific regulations that the university allegedly violated. How students reacted to the temporary reprieve The courtroom drama unfolded as Harvard students were celebrating commencement just a few miles away in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The ceremony highlighted the international fabric of the institution, which draws a large segment of its student body from abroad. University president Alan Garber, addressing the graduates, said, 'from down the street, across the country and around the world,' drawing particular applause when he pointed out the global nature of Harvard's community. 'Around the world – just as it should be,' he added, earning a standing ovation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD More than 25 per cent of Harvard's overall student population is international, including nearly 60 per cent of graduate students at the Harvard Kennedy School. The stakes of the court case are therefore immense, not only for the institution but also for thousands of students and researchers who rely on its sponsorship for their US legal status. One high-profile student affected is Belgium's Princess Elisabeth, who recently completed her first year in a Harvard graduate programme. What next for Harvard vs Trump Harvard officials and legal representatives have warned that even with the restraining order in place, the government's actions have already triggered widespread disruption. In a court affidavit, Maureen Martin, the university's Director of Immigration Services, noted a surge in anxiety and logistical complications for international students. Martin stated that international students arriving in Boston were being subjected to enhanced screening by Customs and Border Protection, while many students seeking visas abroad were facing delays or outright denials. She described the situation as causing 'profound fear, concern, and confusion.' Over 7,000 international students, scholars, and alumni engaged in post-graduate career training programmes depend on Harvard's SEVP certification. The potential revocation, Martin warned, could upend multiple graduate programmes that rely heavily on foreign enrollment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The university's legal team also cited the 'immediate and irrevocable' harm that would result from revoking Harvard's ability to host non-US students, noting the broader economic and reputational fallout such a move would carry. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the university had failed to comply with wide-ranging requests for data on foreign students, including records of disciplinary actions or any involvement in activities considered 'dangerous or violent.' Harvard's refusal to comply with SEVP oversight was the latest evidence that it disdains the American people and takes for granted U.S. taxpayer benefits. Following our letter to Harvard, the school attempted to claim it now wishes to comply with SEVP standards. We continue to… — Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 29, 2025 In parallel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the administration would begin 'aggressively' revoking visas of Chinese students suspected of ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in strategic fields, though he did not specify which disciplines were involved. The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 28, 2025 The move has sparked concern among students and universities alike, particularly given that more than 275,000 Chinese students currently study in the US, constituting a major source of revenue and research talent. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, said, 'Chinese students, in particular, now that they're being faced with hyper-scrutiny, are looking elsewhere. That is a huge loss for us. It's a brain drain.' The university is also pursuing a separate legal action over the administration's decision to terminate nearly $3 billion in federal research funding. Following Burroughs' temporary restraining order last week, Trump responded on social media, saying, 'the best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) – But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!' While Harvard has secured a temporary lifeline, the dispute is far from resolved. The Department of Homeland Security's 30-day notice remains active, and unless permanently blocked, could still result in the withdrawal of Harvard's SEVP certification if the agency deems the university non-compliant. With inputs from agencies
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Harvard reprieve from Trump's foreign student ban extended by judge
Harvard University won a longer-term reprieve from a Trump administration ban on enrolling international students, handing the nation's oldest and richest university a victory in its battle with the White House. At a hearing in Boston federal court, US District Judge Allison Burroughs said Thursday she would extend a temporary pause she put in place last week. Harvard sued the administration on May 23, claiming the ban was illegal. The US maintains that Harvard has failed to comply with the terms of its certification for enrolling foreign students. The judge said she would issue her new order based on feedback from lawyers for the two sides. Her ruling came after a Justice Department lawyer said the Trump administration was no longer imposing a near-immediate ban on foreign students and instead letting the school go through a 30-day administrative process. 'I want it to be worded in such a way so that nothing changes,' Burroughs said of the new order. 'I want to make sure the status quo is clearly maintained.' She said extending her temporary block 'would give some protection to the international students who are anxious about coming here.' Main Target Harvard is the main target of President Donald Trump's efforts to force universities to crack down on antisemitism, remove perceived political bias and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The US has already frozen more than $2.6 billion in federal research funding at Harvard. The university is challenging that freeze in a separate lawsuit before Burroughs. After the hearing, Harvard said it would 'continue to take steps to protect the rights of our international students and scholars, members of our community who are vital to the university's academic mission and community — and whose presence here benefits our country immeasurably.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said it's clear that the university 'disdains the American people and takes for granted US taxpayer benefits,' and that 'we continue to reject Harvard's repeated pattern of endangering its students and spreading American hate — it must change its ways in order to participate in American programs.' The White House said the Trump administration has the final say over the certification and that it is 'confident in the legality of our actions.' The hearing took place as the school was conducting its commencement ceremonies for graduating students across the Charles River in Cambridge, where the keynote speaker was author and doctor Abraham Verghese. 'Part of what makes America great, if I can use that phrase, is that it allows an immigrant like me to blossom here,' said Verghese, who was was born in Ethiopia. Government's Position Noem said on May 22 that she was suspending Harvard's certification to enroll about 6,800 international students, or 27% of the student body. She said Harvard's responses to government requests for information about misconduct by foreign students were insufficient. To regain permission, Harvard was given 72 hours to provide six categories of information about foreign students dating back five years, including disciplinary records and video of those engaged in protests. Harvard sued the next day, prompting Burroughs to impose a temporary ban about two hours later. Justice Department lawyer Tiberius Davis said at the hearing that the US had decided it was better to go through the 30-day process. In a court filing on Wednesday, Harvard said the ban is already causing harm and spreading fear, despite the temporary order. US customs officials at Boston Logan International Airport ordered secondary screenings of Harvard visa holders — including a former head of state who is a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School — immediately after Homeland Security issued the order, a school official said in the filing. Students Cheer Ruling Students and their family members at the commencement cheered as they learned of the ruling. Wendy Valencia, a student from Colombia receiving a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology, saw the news on her classmate's phone. They raised their hands together in celebration. Valencia had been distressed about whether she would even be able to graduate, after six years of study at the Ivy League school, let alone take the prestigious fellowship she had lined up. She said she was grateful that the school moved quickly to secure the court ruling. 'I feel very proud of the university, to be able to stand up for international students,' she said, noting that many in her program are foreign students. 'Right now, we are living step by step.' University lawyers argue that the Trump administration is retaliating against the school for exercising its free speech rights and that the government failed to follow proper administrative procedures. At the hearing, Harvard attorney Ian Gershengorn told Burroughs 'the First Amendment harms that we are suffering are real and are continuing.' A delegation of Massachusetts Democratic lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren issued a statement warning that the crackdown risked a 'chilling effect that discourages the best and brightest students from around the world from coming to study in the United States.' Massachusetts is particularly vulnerable to the administration's actions, with one of largest concentrations of higher education institutions in the country. The state hosts more than 80,000 international students, who contribute almost $4 billion to its economy, the lawmakers said. The case is Harvard v. US Department of Homeland Security, 25-cv-11472, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston).
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Exhausted, disoriented evacuees wait, worry, wonder in Winnipeg
More than 17,000 northern Manitobans scrambled to flee wildfires Wednesday night after Premier Wab Kinew declared a provincial state of emergency and ordered several communities to evacuate. These are some of their stories. Burroughs, a former firefighter, didn't wait for an evacuation notice to pack his bags and get out of Flin Flon. 'I was already getting ready. I knew that wind was going to shift, it was only 1.5 kilometres away and out of control still, and we knew it was going to come our way,' he said Thursday morning at Century Arena in south Winnipeg which, along with Erik Coy Arena in Charleswood and Billy Mosienko Arena in Tyndall Park, were opened by the city Thursday to serve as evacuee reception centres where people can register with the Red Cross and rest, if they have nowhere else to go. ROB BURROUGHS PHOTO Vehicles line up leaving Flin Flon Wednesday evening. Vehicles line up leaving Flin Flon Wednesday evening. Around 5:30 Wednesday evening, Burroughs said notices on his phone, social media and the radio ordered everyone out of the city located just inside the Saskatchewan border, about 830 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Burroughs and his common-law partner loaded up their truck with their children, three rescue dogs and a few necessities and began the 12-hour journey to Winnipeg, unsure when they would be able to go home and what they would be going home to. Their journey was slowed significantly by 5,000 other residents doing the same thing. 'It took three hours to get to The Pas, which only should take an hour and 10 minutes,' Burroughs said. 'It was unreal. Ahead of us, behind us, there was just nothing but headlights.' MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Rob Burroughs walks his dog Gunner on Thursday beside the Century Arena, after spending hours on the road driving to Winnipeg from Flin Flon. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Rob Burroughs walks his dog Gunner on Thursday beside the Century Arena, after spending hours on the road driving to Winnipeg from Flin Flon. They drove through the night and arrived in Winnipeg at 6:30 a.m. A few hours later, the family was on the hunt for dog leashes and some breakfast before figuring out where they were going to spend the night. Burroughs said he has a hotel booked Friday, but feels for his neighbours still making their way to safety. 'It was bad enough getting here in a 12-hour trip, but what happened to the people that are still trying to get here? They're they're still seven, eight hours away, and that's a long night for them too,' he said. After hearing 'Code Black' broadcast over the intercom inside Flin Flon's Walmart Wednesday afternoon, Kittle packed into a car with her sister, her sister's two kids and three cats. As they were grabbing supplies, trucks were driving around their neighbourhood with speakers ordering residents to evacuate. They drove nine hours to North Battleford, Sask. to stay with family because Kittle was worried all the hotels were full in Winnipeg and Brandon. The threatening flames and smoke loomed in the distance as they drove away. KIRA KITTLE PHOTO A photo of the wildfire outside of Flin Flon taken around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday. A photo of the wildfire outside of Flin Flon taken around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday. 'You really feel like the world is ending. You just feel sick to your stomach… I'm never going to get that out of my head,' she said. She had a bag with a couple of changes of clothes in her car but quickly ran back inside to grab some snacks, photo albums, electronics and cat litter. On the road, she feared there wouldn't be a home for her to return to. 'I just bought my house two years ago,' she said. 'I'm getting my life established right now.' Kittle works as high school teacher in Creighton, about five kilometres across the border in Saskatchewan. On Tuesday, before the evacuation notice was announced, Kittle and her students were glued to the window watching the smoke rise. She sent the students home early to be with their families. 'I couldn't teach, it was so hard to focus,' she said. 'I'm definitely hoping all my kids are safe.' One hour after touching down in Winnipeg Thursday afternoon, Castel stood outside the Best Western Plus Winnipeg Airport Hotel, waiting for a bus to take her and her six children — ages three to 18 — to the Billy Mosienko Arena in Tyndall Park. Before they fled Mathias Colomb, the air was thick with acrid smoke, transforming the community where she was born and raised into something more 'like the apocalypse,' Castel said. The family had been without power on the First Nation, and it had been three days before any of them had eaten anything substantial, she said. They were eager to get to the Keewatin Street arena, one of three opened by the city to help evacuees. 'I'm tired and grumpy and hungry,' Castel said, one child slung over her shoulder, another clinging to her hip. 'We might even be here for a month, who knows?' Blacksmith was one of about 300 people pre-emptively evacuated from Pimicikamak as fire conditions worsened throughout last weekend. She arrived in Winnipeg Monday and was separated from her two teenage children, who were taken to Norway House to await transport to Winnipeg. Blacksmith expected the teens to arrive on a flight Thursday, and was desperate to reconnect. She's had limited communication with them because they do not have cellphones, she said. 'I'm just scared for my kids. I'm worried about them. I didn't even sleep because I am thinking about them so much,' she said. Blacksmith described how extreme smoke conditions made it difficult to breathe and see in Pimicikamak. 'Ashes are falling already,' she said. 'A lot of people are scared.' The Red Cross had arranged a hotel room for the family on Pembina Highway, and they were told to expect to use the accommodations until at least June 9, Blacksmith said. Selma, who lives in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL., was staying at a family centre near Cross Lake with his girlfriend Anna Williams and three-year-old son when the wildfires broke out. The family was rushed to Norway House Wednesday afternoon, and then flown to Winnipeg alongside more than 50 other evacuees that evening, Selma said. 'It was kind of scary looking at the smoke and the sky, it was a very dark orange colour. It was very strong, too, the smell of the smoke. I felt bad for people who have respiratory problems,' Selma said. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Jack Selma, outside the Victoria Inn Hotel on Wellington Avenue, was waiting for a taxi to take him to the airport for a flight home to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Nfld. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Jack Selma, outside the Victoria Inn Hotel on Wellington Avenue, was waiting for a taxi to take him to the airport for a flight home to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Nfld. After spending the night at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, the family was heading back to the nearby airport, where they would board a plane to take them home. A planned layover in Toronto meant they would not get there until at least Friday, making for three long and stressful days of travel, Selma said. Hunter and his partner fled their Ontario home, located about 10 kilometres east of the Manitoba border, two weeks ago, as a wildfire in Whiteshell Provincial Park raged nearby. 'We were just scrambling and took off,' he said, describing how they fled in their vehicle with little more than the clothes on their backs. He smoked a cigarette in the parking lot of the Best Western Plus Winnipeg Airport Hotel Thursday afternoon, watching as fresh evacuees from northern Manitoba poured in. The Red Cross had established a reception centre at the hotel, and many evacuees were staying on the building's third floor, he said. 'I told them to hang in there. It's OK, you just gotta hang in there, but you feel like you're displaced and all that,' he said. Hunter said he hoped to return home by June 7, but was feared high winds and temperatures might continue to fuel the fire, extending his stay in Manitoba's capital. Bighetty brought his wife and four young kids to Winnipeg last weekend, hoping to have a short vacation. The family was unsure whether it was wise to return to Thompson, which has been inundated with evacuees from the northern region, he said. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Ian Bighetty said his family would extend their stay in Winnipeg for at least a few days, and then decide how best to proceed. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Ian Bighetty said his family would extend their stay in Winnipeg for at least a few days, and then decide how best to proceed. Thompson is not currently under threat from fire, but the community has been subject to the same tinder-dry conditions as most of the province, placing many people in the community on edge, Bighetty said. A statement on the City of Thompson Facebook page urged residents to remain vigilant, warning seven intentionally set grass fires had been sparked in the community on Tuesday alone. 'My mom is pretty scared about that,' Bighetty said. 'I mean, that was unexpected.' Bighetty said his family would extend their stay in Winnipeg for at least a few days, and then decide how best to proceed. Colomb breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped onto the tarmac at the Premier Airspace hangar after a short flight from his home community. 'As long we made it out — me and my uncle — and hopefully everybody else make it out safely too,' he said. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS This is Brent Colomb's second evacuation in just as many years. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS This is Brent Colomb's second evacuation in just as many years. Colomb escorted his elderly uncle on the trip south and left his wife and nine children behind. Mathias Colomb was in the process of evacuating priority patients before getting others from the community to safety. This is Colomb's second evacuation in just as many years. In 2023, he and his family took a train to Norway House before taking a plane to Winnipeg because of nearby fires. He knew this year's evacuation was imminent when he woke up and saw a red glow across the horizon in the community. 'I said, 'Look, uncle, it's coming. The wind is blowing again,'' Colomb said. 'It's been a lot of anxiety,' Beardy said while smoking a cigarette outside the Premier Airspace hangar after a flight to Winnipeg from his First Nation community. 'I don't even know what happened.' Beardy was evacuated as a priority patient; he's spent the last two years in hospital with various illnesses, and was in a coma for six months. Elders, mothers, pregnant women and sick and disabled people were all flown out of the community as a priority. Others will follow throughout the day. After a long day, Beardy still needed to register with the Red Cross, but he didn't know where he and his brother would lay their heads Thursday night. 'I just don't know anything,' he said. — Compiled by Nicole Buffie, Tyler Searle and Matthew Frank fpcity@
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Key takeaways from hearing in Harvard's ongoing legal fight with the Trump administration
A federal judge on Thursday said she will order Trump administration officials to not make any changes to Harvard University's international student visa program indefinitely, delivering another legal victory for the embattled school as its commencement unfolded with an air of protest not far away. The brief court hearing before US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs came after the judge last week temporarily halted the administration's ban on Harvard University's ability to enroll international students. Burroughs made it clear Thursday that even a last-minute reversal of Trump administration demands of Harvard wouldn't be enough, and a court order was necessary. The international student fight is just one front in a broader ideological battle between the White House and American colleges, with Harvard emerging as a central target. Harvard also is suing the White House over its freeze of $2.2 billion in federal money after the Ivy League school refused to take steps including eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs, banning masks at protests and enacting merit-based hiring and admissions changes. Here are some key takeaways from the closely watched hearing. Burroughs, of the District of Massachusetts, said Thursday, 'I want to maintain the status quo,' allowing Harvard to continue hosting international students on visas. Her comments came a week after Harvard argued revocation of its certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program was 'clear retaliation' for its refusal of the government's ideologically rooted policy demands. Harvard argued last week that the administration's decision to drop the school from the Department of Homeland Security's SEVP system violated the law. Despite the Trump administration 's attempts to defuse the situation by giving Harvard 30 days to respond to its demands, the judge said she is moving forward with putting in place a firm court order – a preliminary injunction – after stepping in on an emergency basis last week. As attorneys for the Trump administration and Harvard faced off in court, Harvard's commencement program in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was underway across the Charles River, with many international students celebrating their degrees. The White House ban could impact nearly 7,000 Harvard students whose futures have been flung into uncertainty. The university says it has 9,970 people in its international academic population, and data shows 6,793 international students comprise 27.2% of its enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year. Burroughs, who was appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama, has told Harvard's lawyers and the Justice Department lawyers to work out an agreement to stop the revocation of the student visa program for the time being. 'It doesn't need to be draconian, but I want to make sure it's worded in such a way that nothing changes,' she said. Harvard has assembled a top-notch legal team led by Ian Gershengorn, a well-established Supreme Court litigator and former acting US solicitor general in the Obama administration. Gershengorn is also notable for the firm he comes from, Jenner & Block, which was the subject of a severely limiting executive order from the Trump White House in recent weeks that was borne out of Trump's personal animus toward some lawyers. Gershengorn told the judge Thursday that he wants to make sure there are no 'shenanigans' once the court order is in place. He said the notice of intent to withdraw letter giving the university 30 days to respond to the White House's demands was sent to Harvard at 11:48 p.m. Wednesday. The Trump administration's actions toward law firms like Jenner & Block and universities like Harvard have galvanized a resistance among a small group of power centers in American culture. Administration restrictions toward both firms and schools are perceived to be part of a broader political campaign to punish powerful intellectual institutions that have championed diversity, globalization and the rule of law. Hours before the hearing, the administration said it would give Harvard a month to provide evidence to challenge the administration's attempt to strip the university of its ability to host international students. The move appeared intended to unravel a legal challenge the school mounted against the White House effort last week. It also represented a sudden reversal of the administration's hardball stance on the student-visa issue. Justice Department attorneys notified a federal judge early Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security sent the school a 'Notice of Intent to Withdraw' it from the Student and Exchange Visitor's Program. The five-page notice cited several reasons why the government was moving to strip the university of its ability to host foreign students and gave the school 30 days to respond with sworn statements or other evidence 'to rebut the alleged grounds for withdrawal.' The notice cited the same alleged issues the administration leaned on in its recent threats, including that the school hadn't complied with reporting requirements for foreign students and that it is not maintaining an environment 'Free from Violence and Antisemitism.' President Donald Trump has suggested Harvard enroll no more than 'around 15%' of scholars from overseas. Burroughs said she was concerned potential Harvard students abroad have been unable to get visas from some US embassies abroad since last week, according to Harvard's sworn statements. The Justice Department said Thursday that the case may be moot because of the administration's latest procedural move to delay the ban. Still, Burroughs indicated Harvard's First Amendment claims may still need to be resolved in court. But the judge appeared skeptical of the administration's latest procedural move. 'I don't know whether to take that as an acknowledgment procedural steps were not taken,' Burroughs said. 'Aren't we going to end up back here in essentially the same place?' the judge asked. The university has said it is being unfairly retaliated against. The Justice Department denied the claim, and said they will allow for additional administrative proceedings with the university over the student visa program. Six miles from the courthouse, Dr. Abraham Verghese – the bestselling author, Stanford University professor and infectious disease expert – began his commencement address by acknowledging Harvard is facing 'unprecedented' times. He told graduates, 'When legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country, including so many of your international students, worry about being wrongly detained and even deported, perhaps it's fitting that you hear from an immigrant like me.' 'Part of what makes America great, if I may use that phrase, is that it allows an immigrant like me to blossom,' Verghese said, nodding to Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan. 'The greatness of America, the greatness of Harvard, is reflected in the fact that someone like me could be invited to speak to you.' CNN's Ray Sanchez, Jennifer Hansler, Rebekah Riess and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
