Harvard sues US over Trump foreign student ban

[WASHINGTON] Harvard University sued the Trump administration over its move to block the school from enrolling international students, ratcheting up a high-stakes legal fight with broad implications for higher education in the US.

The Trump administration issued its decision on May 22, delivering a major blow to the university and escalating the government’s fight with elite colleges to an unprecedented level.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Massachusetts federal court on Friday (May 23), Harvard asked the court to stop the government from blocking its enrolment of international students.

The government’s action has thrust thousands of foreign students into limbo. Both the suddenness and timing of the move have left current and accepted students struggling to figure out what to do next. At Harvard almost 6,800 students – 27 per cent of the student body – come from other countries, up from 19.6 per cent in 2006, according to the university’s data.

“We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a statement. “It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfil their dreams.”

A representative for the Department of Homeland Security referred request for comment on Harvard’s lawsuit to the agency’s announcement of the move. In that statement on Thursday, the department said Harvard had “created an unsafe campus environment.” The White House and the Department of Education did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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While Harvard is showing its community that it is fighting, the government is showing it has many powerful financial levers it can pull. Harvard is the richest US university, but its US$53 billion endowment is largely restricted. The international student ban comes as the administration earlier froze more than US$2.6 billion in federal funding and promised to stop future funding. President Donald Trump has also said he is looking to rescind its tax-exempt status.

The US revoked Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor programme certification, meaning foreign students can no longer attend the university. Existing international students must transfer or lose their legal status, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.

The Trump administration has said it’s taking action against Harvard over the school’s handling of alleged antisemitism on campus and government demands for more oversight.

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The school earlier sued several US agencies for blocking federal funds after the government demanded it remake its governance, transform admissions and faculty hiring, stop admitting international students it says are hostile to US values and enforce viewpoint diversity.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard wrote in its complaint.

Harvard said in the suit that it has been certified by the federal government to enrol international students for more than 70 years.

Over that time, it said, it has “developed programmes and degrees tailored to its international students, invested millions to recruit the most talented such students and integrated its international students into all aspects of the Harvard community. Yesterday, the government abruptly revoked that certification without process or cause, to immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”

Effective immediately, most of Harvard’s thousands of enrolled F-1 and J-1 visa students will have little choice but to secure transfer to another school or be rendered without lawful status in the US. Harvard can no longer sponsor those visa holders for its upcoming summer and fall terms, despite having admitted thousands, and countless academic programmes, research laboratories, clinics, and courses supported by Harvard’s international students have been thrown into disarray. BLOOMBERG