A federal judge has indefinitely blocked a recent effort by President Donald Trump to bar international students from attending Harvard University, calling the move a violation of the Constitution and part of a broader campaign to suppress academic freedom.
In a 44-page opinion issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the presidential proclamation—which sought to prevent thousands of international students from entering the country to study at Harvard—violated the institution’s rights to freedom of thought and expression.
“This case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism,” Burroughs wrote.
The Trump administration had justified the policy on national security grounds, claiming Harvard failed to adequately vet incoming foreign scholars. But Burroughs dismissed that rationale, characterizing the action as politically motivated and retaliatory in nature.
“Here, the government’s efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints, seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this administration‘s own views, threaten these rights,” Burroughs stated. “To make matters worse, the government attempts to accomplish this, at least in part, on the backs of international students.”
This is not the first time Judge Burroughs, an Obama appointee, has intervened on behalf of the university. She previously blocked an attempt by Trump’s Department of Homeland Security and State Department to revoke Harvard’s student visa program—an action that would have affected nearly 25% of its student population and forced many to leave the U.S.
Monday’s ruling addressed a subsequent Trump directive aimed at further restricting visas for Harvard’s international students. It marks the latest in a series of legal battles between the Ivy League institution and the White House.
The Trump administration has increasingly targeted Harvard and other elite universities, portraying them as bastions of liberal ideology. Federal agencies under Trump have frozen over $2 billion in Harvard’s research funding and have scrutinized the university’s DEI policies and response to campus protests related to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Judge Burroughs is expected to rule this summer on Harvard’s broader legal challenge against the administration’s grant freezes—a case that could have far-reaching implications for the future of federal support for academic institutions.
