A federal judge in Boston has temporarily extended the hold on President Donald Trump’s order that sought to prevent incoming foreign students from attending Harvard University. The decision came after a hearing where a lawyer for Harvard argued that Trump was using its students as “pawns.”
US District Judge Allison Burroughs extended the temporary restraining order on the proclamation until June 23. This extension will allow her more time to consider Harvard’s request for a preliminary injunction against the order, which was opposed by the Trump administration during the hearing.
Burroughs issued the initial restraining order on June 5, scheduled to expire on Thursday. Trump’s move earlier this month to block foreign students from entering the US to attend Harvard cited national security concerns. This followed a previous attempt by the Department of Homeland Security to revoke Harvard’s ability to host foreign students on its Cambridge, Massachusetts campus. Burroughs has also temporarily blocked that action and is weighing whether to keep it on hold until the case’s resolution.
Related Stories
Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over International Student Ban
Ian Gershengorn, a lawyer representing Harvard, told Burroughs on Monday that Trump was “using Harvard’s international students as pawns.” He argued that the administration exceeded its authority in an attempt to retaliate against the school for not agreeing to the president’s demands. “I think there is no finding that Harvard is dangerous,” he stated. Trump has been engaged in a dispute with Harvard for months after the university rejected a series of government demands intended to address conservative concerns that the school has become overly liberal and has tolerated anti-Jewish harassment.
Trump officials have cut over $2.6 billion in research grants, terminated federal contracts, and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. Foreign students became entangled in the conflict in April, when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that Harvard provide a vast amount of records related to any dangerous or illegal activity by foreign students. Harvard claims to have complied, but Noem deemed the response inadequate and, on May 22, revoked Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
Harvard Argues Foreign Student Ban Damages Reputation, DOJ Claims School Can “Fix This” The sanction immediately placed Harvard at a disadvantage in the competition for top global students and harmed its reputation as a global research hub, the school argued in its lawsuit. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the suit stated. The action would have significantly disrupted graduate schools that rely heavily on international recruitment. Some overseas institutions, including two universities in Hong Kong, quickly extended invitations to Harvard’s students.
While Harvard’s legal team argued Monday that the federal government was unfairly and illegally singling out the university in Trump’s proclamation, Department of Justice attorney Tiberius Davis countered that the administration has scrutinized dozens of universities over the past two months. “The power is within Harvard to fix this,” Davis said, adding that currently the federal government believes “other universities might be better” to host foreign students. Davis was the sole attorney present to defend the Trump administration during Monday’s hearing, in contrast to the six Harvard attorneys.
This disparity was repeatedly noted by Judge Burroughs. “Not only do you have this case, but you have it alone,” she commented. Harvard President Alan Garber previously stated that the university has implemented changes to combat antisemitism. However, he affirmed that Harvard will not deviate from its “core, legally-protected principles,” even in the face of federal ultimatums.
Protests Over Trump’s Immigration Raids Lead To Mass Arrests in LA; Curfew Imposed
Source: CNN
