Latest news with #JudgeAllisonBurroughs
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump says Harvard agreement on international students may be announced within a week
President Donald Trump on Friday said a deal with Harvard University, related to its policies surrounding international students, may be announced within a week. "Many people have been asking what is going on with Harvard University and their largescale improprieties that we have been addressing, looking for a solution," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "We have been working closely with Harvard, and it is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so." The president noted the university "acted extremely appropriately" during negotiations, applauding leadership's apparent commitment to do "what is right." "If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be "mindbogglingly" HISTORIC, and very good for our Country," Trump wrote. The announcement came as Federal Judge Allison Burroughs on Friday issued a preliminary injunction, allowing Harvard University to continue hosting international students, despite a Trump executive order. It is a major legal victory for the Ivy League school, which has been fighting a variety of restrictions imposed by the administration. The temporary court order stays in effect until the case is fully decided on the merits. Harvard University sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), challenging the revocation of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Without the program, current and future international students would be barred from attending the university. Harvard alleged the revocation was the culmination of a retaliatory campaign by the Trump administration on academic freedom at Harvard. Attorneys argued the policy is an infringement of the university's Due Process and First Amendment rights, in particular Harvard's constitutional right to be free of retaliatory action for protected speech, as well as violating the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). The order states the revocation cannot be used to negatively affect visa applications, deny entry to the U.S., or be used as a reason to claim a visa holder has lost their non-immigrant status. Harvard University did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge delays decision over Trump admin barring Harvard foreign students
A federal judge delayed making a decision until next week on the Trump administration's proclamation barring international students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard University. A preliminary injunction would effectively replace two temporary restraining orders that have been granted to allow for the court case to continue until the judge makes a final determination on the legality of the case. After hearing from lawyers representing Harvard and the Trump administration on Monday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said she needed more time to decide and extended a temporary restraining order that was set to expire on Thursday until Monday. The lawsuit initially began after the Trump administration attempted to revoke a key certification allowing Harvard to enroll international students. The university filed its second lawsuit against the federal government last month; the first was filed in April. Read more: Why the fight over foreign students at Harvard has some US students leaving, too Since the battle between the university and the administration began, international and domestic students have considered transferring to other universities. About 27% of Harvard's undergraduate and graduate students are international, according to 2024 to 2025 data. Since President Donald Trump issued a proclamation barring international students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard, the students have been wrongly detained at Boston Logan Airport and denied visas, according to Maureen Martin, Harvard's Director of Immigration Services, in a Friday court filing. During the lengthy hearing on Monday, Harvard lawyers argued the Trump administration's actions left a 'gaping hole' in its First Amendment rights and that they were retaliatory, in part because of a perceived lack of viewpoint diversity. Ian Gershengorn, a lawyer for Harvard University, said the Trump administration is using the institution's foreign students as 'pawns' to punish the institution. The Trump administration isn't trying to regulate foreign students, he said, but is trying to regulate Harvard, aiming for the university to hand over information on its students and capitulate to its demands from April. The university has undergone a 'nonstop daily barrage' of basically every federal department going after the institution, he said. The Trump administration is 'throwing a bunch of things on the wall to see what sticks,' he said. The consequence of banning international students is 'extraordinary,' and immigration laws are being weaponized against them, he said. During the hearing, Judge Burroughs said it would be an 'uphill battle' for the federal government to prove there wouldn't be irreparable harm done to the university. Read more: 'Incredibly ironic': Trump antisemitism effort may force out Harvard's Israeli Jews Department of Justice lawyer Tiberius Davis, who was alone in court, said the federal government hasn't been retaliating against the university, pointing to other investigations and the pulling of funding at other institutions. However, Harvard has been 'resistant.' 'We don't trust Harvard to vet, host or discipline its students,' Davis said. Harvard has several issues, he said, including antisemitism, crime, its entanglement with the Chinese government and foreign adversaries and hasn't adequately disciplined students. Judge Burroughs pushed back on the implication that this is only happening at Harvard and asked why all international students are included in the Trump administration's actions — including Jewish students from Israel — in the name of combating antisemitism. The hearing comes after the U.S. State Department ordered embassies around the world to resume processing Harvard University student visas last week. However, the university has been battling against the Trump administration since April. It began when the Department of Homeland Security said it was revoking a key certification that allows Harvard University's international students to study there. The institution was offered an ultimatum by the Trump administration to lose the certification or give up information about its foreign student population. Quickly after, Judge Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later stated that the U.S. would begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students and increase vetting of social media accounts of student visa applicants. Following the revocation attempt, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that barred Harvard's international students from entering the country. He also directed Rubio to consider halting the processing of Harvard student visas. Another temporary restraining order was granted in response. Read more: As Trump cuts funding, these Harvard scholars consider leaving US — and academia Harvard has a separate lawsuit in reaction to the federal government freezing or cutting nearly $3 billion in federal funding, citing antisemitism at Harvard. The administration has claimed the university failed to protect Jewish students, particularly in the wake of the war in Gaza. 'In the Trump Administration, discrimination will not be tolerated on campus. Federal funds must support institutions that protect all students,' the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wrote in May as it cut $60 million in grants to Harvard. Federal judge orders Trump admin to reinstate hundreds of NIH grants Harvard's Monday court date will be important for international students. Here's why As Trump cuts funding, these Harvard scholars consider leaving US — and academia Harvard researcher released from custody after months in detention Ex-Harvard professor fired after refusing COVID shot named to CDC vaccine panel Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harvard's Monday court date will be important for international students. Here's why
A Monday preliminary injunction hearing will hold the weight of what is to come next for Harvard University's foreign student population. The federal court hearing in Boston is in response to several attempts by the Trump administration to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students or allowing them to enter the country to study. The university began its second lawsuit against the federal government last month. Since the battle between the two, international students and U.S. students have been considering transferring to other universities. About 27% of Harvard's undergraduate and graduate students are international, according to 2024 to 2025 data. There are two temporary restraining orders from May and June that U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs granted. A preliminary injunction would effectively replace the two — which have expiration dates — to allow for the court case to continue until Burroughs makes a final determination on the legality of the case, according to Jonathan Grode, managing partner at immigration law firm Green and Spiegel. Read more: Why the fight over foreign students at Harvard has some US students leaving, too When Harvard asked for a preliminary injunction in May, Burroughs told the university and the Department of Homeland Security to agree on common terms over a preliminary injunction. In Thursday evening court filings, both Harvard and the Trump administration said they were unable to do so. Harvard international students have been wrongly detained at Boston Logan Airport and denied visas, according to Maureen Martin, Harvard's Director of Immigration Services, who wrote in a Friday court filing. The Trump administration, in a lengthy 44-page brief, stated its opposition to a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction in the case. 'That Harvard has now become the subject of an immigration related enforcement action is neither discriminatory nor retaliatory. It reflects considered enforcement discretion directed to address well-founded national-security concerns, which courts cannot question,' the federal government wrote. If Judge Burroughs sides with the federal government, past restraining orders will be null, putting international students at Harvard in a difficult situation, according to Grode. The hearing comes after the U.S. State Department ordered embassies around the world to resume processing Harvard University student visas last week. However, the university has been battling against the Trump administration since April. It began when the Department of Homeland Security said it was revoking a key certification that allows Harvard University's international students to study there. The institution was offered an ultimatum by the Trump administration to lose the certification or give up information about its foreign student population. Quickly after, Judge Burroughs granted a temporary restraining order. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later stated that the U.S. would begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students and increase vetting of social media accounts of student visa applicants. Following the revocation attempt, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that barred Harvard's international students from entering the country. He also directed Rubio to consider stopping the processing of Harvard student visas. Another temporary restraining order was granted in response. Harvard has a separate lawsuit in reaction to the federal government freezing or cutting nearly $3 billion in federal funding, citing antisemitism at Harvard. The administration has claimed the university failed to protect Jewish students, particularly in the wake of the war in Gaza. 'In the Trump Administration, discrimination will not be tolerated on campus. Federal funds must support institutions that protect all students,' the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wrote in May as it cut $60 million in grants to Harvard. As Trump cuts funding, these Harvard scholars consider leaving US — and academia Harvard researcher released from custody after months in detention Ex-Harvard professor fired after refusing COVID shot named to CDC vaccine panel U.S. House committee demands Harvard send them hiring policies for review Williams College stops accepting federal grants, opposing new policy Read the original article on MassLive.
RNZ News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Trump ban on entry of international Harvard students blocked by US judge
By Nate Raymond , Steve Gorman and Daniel Wiessner , Reuters Photo: AFP/Maddie Meyer A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump from barring US entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University. Under a two-page temporary restraining order granted to Harvard, US District Judge Allison Burroughs enjoined Trump's proclamation from taking effect pending further litigation of the matter amid an escalating dispute between the Ivy League school and Republican president. The judge ruled that Trump's directive prohibiting foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard for the next six months would cause "immediate and irreparable injury" before the courts have a chance to review the case. Burroughs last month had blocked Trump from implementing a separate order prohibiting Harvard from enrolling international students, who make up more than a quarter of its student body. Harvard on Thursday amended its lawsuit to challenge the new directive, claiming Trump is violating Burroughs' decision. "The Proclamation denies thousands of Harvard's students the right to come to this country to pursue their education and follow their dreams, and it denies Harvard the right to teach them. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the school said in the filing. Burroughs' order on Thursday (US time) also continued a separate temporary restraining order she issued on 23 May against the administration's restriction on international student enrolment at Harvard. Earlier on Thursday (US time), White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called Harvard "a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators," claims that the school has previously denied. "Harvard's behaviour has jeopardised the integrity of the entire US student and exchange visitor visa system and risks compromising national security. Now it must face the consequences of its actions," Jackson said in a statement. Trump cited national security concerns as justification for barring international students from entering the US to pursue studies at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university. Under Trump's proclamation, the suspension would initially be for six months but could be extended. Trump's order also directed the US State Department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation's criteria. In the court filing, Harvard said Trump had violated federal law by failing to back up his claims about national security. "The Proclamation does not deem the entry of an alien or class of aliens to be detrimental to the interests of the United States, because noncitizens who are impacted by the Proclamation can enter the United States just so long as they go somewhere other than Harvard," the school said. The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges. Harvard argues the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. The university sued after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on 22 May that her department was immediately revoking Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows it to enrol foreign students. Noem's action was temporarily blocked almost immediately by Burroughs. On the eve of a hearing before her last week, the department changed course and said it would instead challenge Harvard's certification through a lengthier administrative process. Nonetheless, Burroughs said she planned to issue a longer-term preliminary injunction at Harvard's urging, saying one was necessary to give some protection to Harvard's international students. Wednesday's two-page directive from Trump said Harvard had "demonstrated a history of concerning foreign ties and radicalism," and had "extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries," including China. It said Harvard had seen a "drastic rise in crime in recent years while failing to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus," and had failed to provide sufficient information to the Homeland Security Department about foreign students' "known illegal or dangerous activities." The school in Thursday's (US time) court filing said those claims were unsubstantiated. - Reuters
Japan Times
30-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Judge blocks Trump ban on Harvard's international students
A U.S. federal judge said on Thursday she would extend an order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from immediately revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, a victory for the Ivy League school that is entangled in multiple battles with the administration. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston announced her intention to issue a preliminary injunction, six days after she first granted Harvard a temporary order blocking the Trump administration's move. As the court hearing unfolded on Thursday morning, thousands of Harvard students were receiving their degrees at the school's commencement ceremony on campus about 8 kilometers away. University President Alan Garber, who received a standing ovation, welcomed graduating students "from down the street, across the country and around the world," drawing applause for the last words. "Around the world — just as it should be," he added. The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants. Revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students would be damaging, the school says. More than a quarter of the student body is international; nearly 60% of the graduate students at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School hail from other countries. The attack on Harvard is part of the administration's broader effort to pressure higher education institutions to align with its policy agenda. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would start "aggressively" revoking visas issued to Chinese students attending U.S. schools, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in critical fields, which he did not specify. More than 275,000 Chinese students are enrolled in hundreds of U.S. colleges, providing a major source of revenue for the schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for U.S. technology companies. The decision prompted despair and frustration among students who have offers to attend next year. Prior to Rubio's announcement, the offensive against U.S. colleges had largely been confined to Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, which it has accused of left-wing bias and antisemitism. Lynn Pasquerella, president of the advocacy group American Association of Colleges and Universities, said the Trump administration's targeting of international students would have negative consequences for schools and the U.S. "Chinese students, in particular, now that they're being faced with hyper-scrutiny, are looking elsewhere," she said. "That is a huge loss for us. It's a brain drain." The court hearing before Burroughs took place shortly after the administration softened its stance in an apparent effort to refute Harvard's legal arguments in advance. Late Wednesday night, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent a notice to Harvard saying it would now give the university 30 days to submit evidence contesting the administration's plan to revoke Harvard's right to enroll non-U.S. students. The notice signaled a change in course for DHS, which had said last week that the revocation was effective immediately. In its lawsuit challenging the move, Harvard argued that DHS had violated federal administrative procedure. During the court hearing, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Tiberius Davis argued there was now no need for a court order blocking the administration's actions, since Harvard could challenge them via an administrative process. But Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said she believed a broad preliminary injunction protecting Harvard and students was necessary while that process played out. She expressed skepticism that Harvard's fate would be any different at its conclusion, saying, "Aren't we still going to end up back here at the same place?" She also questioned whether the administration had fully complied with her temporary restraining order, pointing to a declaration Harvard submitted on Wednesday that said visas for incoming students had been recently revoked. Burroughs said the temporary order would remain in effect while lawyers for both sides negotiate over the terms of the injunction. Harvard has called DHS's action part of an "unprecedented and retaliatory attack on academic freedom." The school is pursuing a separate lawsuit challenging the administration's decision to terminate nearly $3 billion in federal research funding. Harvard argues the Trump administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. In announcing the initial decision to revoke Harvard's certification, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party." She accused the school of refusing to comply with wide-ranging requests for information on its student visa holders, including whether they engaged in any activity that was illegal, violent or subjected them to discipline. The department's move would prevent Harvard from enrolling new international students and require existing ones to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status.
