A U.S. federal judge issued an injunction on Monday against the Trump administration's plan to bar international students from studying at Harvard University.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston ruled in favor of Harvard, allowing international students to continue traveling to the U.S. for their studies at the prestigious Ivy League university.
The injunction extends a temporary order issued on June 5 that prevented the administration from enforcing a proclamation President Donald Trump signed a day earlier against Harvard University.
Burroughs wrote that this case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, expression, and speech. She said the government's misplaced efforts have threatened these rights.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security on May 22 revoked Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, forcing roughly 7,000 foreign students at Harvard to transfer or risk being in the United States illegally.
Harvard sued the department, calling it illegal retaliation for its rejecting the Trump administration's demands to overhaul Harvard policies around campus protests, admissions, hiring and other issues. Burroughs temporarily halted the action hours after Harvard sued.
In early June, President Donald Trump blocked foreign students from entering the United States to attend Harvard, citing a different legal justification. Harvard challenged the move and Burroughs temporarily blocked the effort again.
Addressing conservative complaints that Harvard has become too liberal and has tolerated anti-Jewish harassment, the Trump administration has cut more than 2.6 billion U.S. dollars in research grants for Harvard, ended federal contracts and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status.
US judge blocks Trump plan to keep Harvard from hosting foreign students
