US court extends order blocking Trump's move to ban enrolling foreign students

In a major setback to Donald Trump and his administration, US District Judge Allison Burroughs on Thursday extended an order preventing the government from blocking Harvard University from enrolling foreign students.

The judge had already issued a temporary restraining order last week, pausing the administration's move.

The legal conflict began after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent a letter to Harvard, warning that if the university did not comply with federal requirements, its ability to enrol foreign students would be revoked.

In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the DHS.

Before the order was pronounced by the judge, the Trump administration took a U-turn as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons sent another letter to Harvard, stating that the university had been given 30 days to respond to allegations that include fostering antisemitism and violence on campus and allegedly coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.

In



its lawsuit, Harvard had argued that the DHS violated proper administrative procedures by failing to provide the school with the required 30-day response period before initiating the withdrawal process.

At the start of the hearing, a Justice Department lawyer argued that Harvard’s request for emergency court relief should be considered unnecessary. This is because the administration is now offering the university 30 days to make its case regarding its student visa programme, CNN has reported.

Just before the federal court session, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent a letter to Harvard on Thursday, CBS news stated in a report.

The letter grants the university 30 days to challenge the decision to revoke its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

This notice formally informs Harvard that its certification is being withdrawn, but it marks a shift from the administration’s earlier position by allowing the university a 30-day window to come into compliance.