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Federal judge halts Trump’s attempt to bar foreign students from Harvard

William Jackson (Producer), Craig Nigrelli (Anchor/Reporter)
A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to prevent new international students from enrolling at Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued the ruling late Thursday, June 5, citing the risk of “immediate and irreparable” injury to the school and its students. A hearing is scheduled for June 16.
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Summary

Legal block

A federal judge temporarily halted President Trump’s proclamation targeting international students at Harvard. The university argues that the move is a form of political retaliation.

Visa fight

The proclamation would suspend the issuance of new visas and possibly revoke existing ones for Harvard’s international students, citing national security concerns.

Broader impact

Harvard reports that over 7,000 students and recent graduates may be affected. The university expanded its lawsuit, citing violations of the First Amendment and immigration law.

Full story

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to prevent new international students from enrolling at Harvard University. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued the ruling late Thursday, June 5, citing the risk of “immediate and irreparable injury” to the school and its students.

A hearing is scheduled for June 16.

It’s the latest legal development in an ongoing fight over Trump’s attempts to restrict foreign student access to the Ivy League institution. Trump’s foreign student visas proclamation marked the third such attempt in recent months, but the first to rely solely on presidential authority. 

Burroughs also extended an earlier injunction that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security from revoking Harvard’s visa program.

What does Trump’s proclamation say?

Trump’s proclamation cited national security concerns and accused Harvard of failing to comply with federal requests for information about foreign students. The White House claimed Harvard withheld data on illegal or violent activity and has financial ties to foreign governments, including China. 

The proclamation suspended the issuance of new student and exchange visitor visas for individuals intending to attend Harvard and authorized Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evaluate whether to revoke existing visas.

The administration argued that Harvard’s actions undermined federal oversight of student visa programs. It also referenced rising campus crime and alleged civil rights violations as justification.

How is Harvard responding?

Harvard denies any wrongdoing and accuses the White House of retaliating against the university for resisting political pressure. In an amended lawsuit filed Thursday, the university said the White House was attempting to bypass earlier court decisions and penalize the school for exercising its First Amendment rights.

“Both actions are designed to prevent Harvard’s international students from attending Harvard, and they fundamentally alter the education that Harvard endeavors to provide to all its students — including domestic students — as it prepares them to contribute to and lead in our global society,” the university wrote in a legal brief.

Harvard President Alan Garber established contingency plans to support international students and warned of broader consequences if the Trump administration enforces the proclamation.

Burroughs’s order temporarily halts enforcement of the proclamation while legal arguments proceed. The university has expanded its lawsuit, challenging the administration’s actions under the First Amendment and immigration law.

Meanwhile, Harvard estimates that visa revocations could affect more than 7,000 international students and recent graduates.

The White House has not commented on the ruling.

Devan Markham (Morning Digital Producer) and Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor) contributed to this report.
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Why this story matters

A federal judge's decision to temporarily block the Trump administration's attempt to restrict new international student visas at Harvard highlights ongoing legal disputes over immigration policy, institutional autonomy, and the rights of educational institutions.

Immigration policy

The case centers on how presidential authority is used to enforce immigration restrictions, specifically concerning student and exchange visitor visas.

University autonomy

Harvard asserts its right to operate without what it claims is political retaliation and government overreach, raising broader questions about the independence of academic institutions.

Legal challenges

The judge's ruling and Harvard's ongoing lawsuit against the Trump administration reflect broader legal debates over constitutional rights, federal oversight and the interpretation of immigration law.

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Behind the numbers

Across sources, it is reported that international students comprise around 26%-27% of Harvard’s student population, representing over 7,000 students. The Trump administration also froze roughly $2.2 to $3.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard. These numbers represent significant institutional impact on both enrollment and financial resources for the university.

Community reaction

Harvard administrators, faculty and students expressed concern over the potential loss of international students and its effect on the university’s global community. Student representatives expressed concerns about their ability to return and continue their studies, while university leadership emphasized their commitment to supporting international students. Broader academic and immigrant communities closely monitored developments, viewing the policy as indicative of larger debates about academic freedom and inclusion.

Context corner

The legal dispute is set against a backdrop of escalating tensions between elite U.S. universities and the Trump administration, which has criticized academic institutions for their handling of political activism, campus speech and diversity policies. Historically, U.S. universities have relied on international students for academic and financial contributions, making restrictive immigration measures highly consequential.

Sources

  1. The Washington Post
  2. The New York Times
  3. The White House
  4. Harvard University

Bias comparison

  • Media outlets on the left frame the judge’s temporary halt of Trump’s visa ban on Harvard’s international students as a judicial check on a retaliatory, legally dubious attack, emphasizing the administration’s lack of clear national security evidence and the “dramatic costs” to students.
  • Media outlets in the center provide detailed visa and country-specific context and critiques DHS overstay data reliability—largely de-emphasized by both sides—all agree on the legal blocking of the proclamation, underscoring shared recognition of judicial intervention amidst broader ideological and cultural battles over immigration and executive power.
  • Media outlets on the right spotlight Harvard as a “hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” justifying the proclamation as vital for national security against foreign threats, employing charged language like “woke” adversaries and framing the ban as a necessary executive measure.

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Media landscape

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108 total sources

Key points from the Left

  • A federal judge granted Harvard's request for a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's proclamation banning international students from entering the United States on Harvard-sponsored visas.
  • U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs extended the temporary restraining order until June 20, allowing international students to enter the U.S. to attend Harvard until a hearing scheduled for June 16.
  • Harvard accused the Trump administration of retaliating against the university regarding international student entry restrictions, leading to investigations into Harvard and attempts to impose tighter entry limits on international students.
  • Legal experts indicated that while Harvard may receive temporary relief, it could face challenges in higher courts due to past rulings on immigration authority and a conservative majority.

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Key points from the Center

  • Donald Trump issued presidential proclamations on June 4, 2025, blocking visas for international students at Harvard University and restricting immigration from 19 countries.
  • These proclamations followed earlier bans from his first term, targeting 19 countries for national security reasons despite lacking supporting evidence for improved security.
  • The bans include immigrant and temporary visas from countries like Afghanistan, Iran and Venezuela, but exempt immediate relatives of U.S. citizens to limit impact.
  • Analysts estimate these bans will block around 25,000 legal immigrants annually and reduce student visas by about 10,000, chilling international enrollments at U.S. universities.
  • Legal experts like Jonathan Grode say the administration first failed to suspend SEVP and now uses unsubstantiated national security claims to block student visa issuance.

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Key points from the Right

  • A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked Donald Trump's proclamation preventing foreign nationals from studying at Harvard University on June 5, citing potential harm to students before litigation concludes.
  • Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the proclamation would cause "immediate and irreparable injury" to international students at Harvard.
  • Harvard amended its lawsuit, claiming Trump's actions violated a previous ruling from Judge Burroughs aimed at protecting its international student enrollment.
  • A White House spokesperson referred to Harvard as "a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators," which Harvard has denied, stating the allegations are unsubstantiated.

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Timeline

Sources

  1. The Washington Post
  2. The New York Times
  3. The White House
  4. Harvard University

Timeline