Harvard has asked a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from revoking its certification to host international students. This comes a day after the university was granted a temporary restraining order blocking the DHS from enforcing its order to strip Harvard of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. This grants Harvard short-term relief while the court considers the next steps. It would expire during the next hearing where Judge Allison D. Burroughs would decide whether to grant a primary injunction.
If this is granted, the protections in the temporary restraining order (TRO) would be extended, and keep Harvard’s SEVP certification intact while the lawsuit moves forward. If Harvard’s SEVP gets permanently revoked, however, over 7,000 international students would be unable to continue at Harvard. They would also be unable to continue to legally stay in the U.S. unless they transfer to a different university.
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Harvard International Office Director Maureen Martin stated that the DHS’s action caused “significant emotional distress,” among scholars, who were unsure if they would be able to return to campus in the fall. Martin also claimed students skipped graduation ceremonies, canceled international travel, and in some cases, began seeking transfer via a supplemental seven-page declaration filed alongside the motion Some students also reported a fear of having to return to countries where they face active conflict or political persecution.
This is one of the recent actions taken by the Trump administration against Harvard, ostensibly over non-compliance with a list of demands, many of which are related to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and pro-Palestinian student protestors. The Trump administration has also frozen over $2.3 billion in federal research funding to Harvard University, as part of a broader review of the university’s federal grants, demanding that Harvard eliminate diversity programs, ban mask mandates, and disclose foreign affiliations. The university filed a lawsuit over this funding freeze.