Harvard University has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration , challenging a decision to bar the Ivy League institution from enrolling foreign students, calling the move unconstitutional retaliation for resisting the White House’s political pressure.
In a complaint filed on Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard argued the action violates the First Amendment and poses an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and over 7,000 visa-holding students.
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body - international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” the lawsuit states, according to news agency Associated Press.
"It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," said the lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court.
Harvard said it plans to seek a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from enforcing the directive.
The administration announced the policy, alleging that Harvard had fostered an unsafe campus by enabling “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to target Jewish students. DHS also accused the university of having ties with the Chinese Communist Party, claiming Harvard hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.
In response, Harvard president Alan Garber stated earlier this month that the university had made changes to its governance and rolled out a broad anti-antisemitism strategy. He emphasised that Harvard would not compromise on its “core, legally-protected principles” in the face of political retaliation. The university said it would respond separately to the CCP allegations made by House Republicans.
The immediate threat to Harvard’s foreign enrollment arose from an April 16 directive by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that the university submit records on international students allegedly involved in violent protests or other “dangerous activity.”
Noem stated Harvard could regain its ability to host international students only by turning over comprehensive documentation, including audio and video footage of foreign students at protests, within 72 hours.
This lawsuit is distinct from Harvard’s earlier legal battle against over $2 billion in federal funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration.
72-hour ultimatum to comply: What did the Trump administration seek from the university?
In a complaint filed on Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard argued the action violates the First Amendment and poses an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and over 7,000 visa-holding students.
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body - international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” the lawsuit states, according to news agency Associated Press.
"It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," said the lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court.
Harvard said it plans to seek a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from enforcing the directive.
The administration announced the policy, alleging that Harvard had fostered an unsafe campus by enabling “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to target Jewish students. DHS also accused the university of having ties with the Chinese Communist Party, claiming Harvard hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.
In response, Harvard president Alan Garber stated earlier this month that the university had made changes to its governance and rolled out a broad anti-antisemitism strategy. He emphasised that Harvard would not compromise on its “core, legally-protected principles” in the face of political retaliation. The university said it would respond separately to the CCP allegations made by House Republicans.
The immediate threat to Harvard’s foreign enrollment arose from an April 16 directive by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that the university submit records on international students allegedly involved in violent protests or other “dangerous activity.”
Noem stated Harvard could regain its ability to host international students only by turning over comprehensive documentation, including audio and video footage of foreign students at protests, within 72 hours.
This lawsuit is distinct from Harvard’s earlier legal battle against over $2 billion in federal funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration.
72-hour ultimatum to comply: What did the Trump administration seek from the university?
- The administration sought records of any audio or video footage regarding any illegal/violent activity on or off the campus by a non-immigrant student. An informal record will also do.
- Record of any threat to other students or university personnel on or off campus by a non-immigrant student in the last five years.
- Any record of deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel by nonimmigrant students.
- All disciplinary records of non-immigrant students, footage of any protest activity. All these records pertain to non-immigrant students in the last five years.
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