A federal judge on Monday extended a restraining order that halts the Trump administration’s efforts to bar Harvard University from hosting or enrolling foreign students, marking the latest development in a standoff between the Ivy League institution and the U.S. president.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs keeps in place temporary protections for international students at Harvard, while the court considers broader constitutional questions raised by the university. The extension is set to last until at least June 23.
Harvard, which has one of the highest international student populations in the country — 27 percent of its total enrollment for the 2024–2025 academic year — sued the Department of Homeland Security and several other federal agencies, arguing that the administration’s attempts to block foreign students are illegal and unconstitutional.
The university claims the actions are part of a “concerted campaign of retaliation” by President Donald Trump, aimed at punishing Harvard for exercising its First Amendment rights. According to court filings, Harvard says it has resisted federal pressure to cede control over its governance, curriculum, and what the administration has described as the ideological leanings of its faculty and students.
“This is not about visas or immigration,” Harvard wrote in its legal brief. “It is about academic freedom and the government’s unconstitutional attempt to control it.”
The Trump administration, for its part, has accused Harvard and similar elite institutions of promoting liberal orthodoxy and antisemitism, and of operating without adequate public oversight. In recent months, Trump has slashed roughly $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts benefiting the university and vowed to exclude it from future federal funding.
In an unusual move, Harvard alleges that the administration has gone as far as instructing foreign embassies not to issue visas to students accepted to the Massachusetts-based institution.
Monday’s hearing in Boston ended without a final decision on the broader injunction. “Court takes matter under advisement. The current temporary restraining orders will remain in effect until June 23,” the court clerk said.
The outcome of the case could have sweeping implications not just for Harvard, but for how universities nationwide interact with the federal government — particularly when it comes to issues of academic autonomy, immigration, and political speech.
