The long and bitter standoff between Harvard University and Donald Trump’s administration added another chapter Monday, as a federal judge extended an emergency block on the former president’s attempt to bar foreign students from entering the U.S. to study at the Ivy League institution.
At the heart of the courtroom drama in Boston, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs gave Harvard a short but crucial reprieve—extending a temporary restraining order until June 23—buying herself more time to decide whether to grant a longer-term injunction that could keep the ban at bay while the case winds through the courts.
The case stems from a presidential proclamation signed by Trump earlier this month, citing “national security” as grounds to suspend foreign nationals from enrolling at Harvard or participating in its exchange programs. Trump also instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to weigh revoking the visas of already-enrolled international students.
Harvard, calling the move retaliatory and unconstitutional, argued it was punishment for resisting pressure to reshape its curriculum, faculty views, and internal governance to align with the administration’s demands. The university says the proclamation is a direct hit to its First Amendment rights.
In court, the judge didn’t tip her hand—but she made it clear that the government’s argument had a steep hill to climb. “An uphill battle,” she said of the administration’s defense, which rests on the claim that Trump holds sweeping powers under immigration law to restrict entry into the country.
Harvard’s legal counsel, Ian Gershengorn, warned of “devastating” consequences for both the university and its students. The numbers back that up—nearly 6,800 international students make up over a quarter of Harvard’s student body.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had already taken steps to decertify Harvard from enrolling foreign students by revoking its Student and Exchange Visitor Program approval—another move blocked by Judge Burroughs in May. The administration has since pivoted to a slower bureaucratic process to challenge Harvard’s certification, but the proclamation has now upped the ante.
Trump’s broader offensive against Harvard has included attempts to unfreeze billions in grants and even end the university’s tax-exempt status. Two lawsuits are pending before Burroughs tied to those efforts.
Back in the courtroom, DOJ attorney Tiberius Davis pressed the narrative that Harvard had become a national security risk, pointing to foreign donations and what he described as a failure to provide adequate information on certain students. He claimed, flatly: “We don’t trust them to host foreign students.”
The administration has also accused Harvard of turning a blind eye to antisemitism and failing to protect Jewish students amid recent campus unrest related to the Israel-Gaza conflict—claims the university denies.
While Judge Burroughs didn’t rule Monday on a permanent injunction, her brief extension signals the stakes: a looming decision that could define the future of international education at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions—and the limits of presidential power to reshape it.
