District Judge Alison Burroughs issued a temporary injunction Friday (May 23) blocking the administration's plan Donald Trump da Harvard University prohibit the enrollment of foreign students.
The ruling came after Harvard filed a lawsuit in the latest escalation of the dispute between the White House and one of America's most prestigious institutions, reports the BBC.
The Trump administration claims Harvard has not done enough to combat anti-Semitism and change its hiring and admissions practices, which the university strongly denies in the lawsuit.
The temporary injunction was granted in a brief ruling released Friday and the order suspends a decision by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday to revoke Harvard's access to the Exchange Student and Visitor Program.
There are about 6.800 foreign students at Harvard, who make up more than 27 percent of the enrollment this year.
"With one stroke of a pen, the government attempted to erase a quarter of Harvard's students, that is, all foreign students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission," Harvard's lawsuit states.
White House Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Jackson stressed, reacting to the court's decision, that Harvard would not be in this situation if they cared about ending the scourge of anti-American, anti-Semitic and terrorist agitators on their campus.
"Harvard should be spending time and resources on creating a safe environment on campus, instead of filing frivolous lawsuits," Jackson said, according to FoNet.
Trump's ban
Administration of the US President Donald Trump previously abolished the right Harvard University to enroll international students, and she intended to force those enrolled to transfer to other faculties or they will lose their legal status, the Ministry of Security announced earlier.
Minister Christy Noem has ordered the revocation of Harvard's certificate that allowed the university to enroll people on student visas or receive scholars on exchange (SEVP), the ministry said in a statement.
Harvard called the act illegal.
It comes after Harvard refused to provide information that Noem had previously requested about some student bond holders who attend the university, the department said.
"This administration holds Harvard responsible for inciting violence, anti-Semitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," Noem said.
"It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition fees to help grow their multi-billion dollar associations," she added.
Harvard assessed that this was an act of revenge that could cause great damage to the university.
"The government's action is illegal. We are fully committed to Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars, who come from more than 140 countries and immeasurably enrich the university and this nation," the university said in a statement.
The Republican president has launched an extraordinary effort to crack down on private educational institutions across the country that he says promote anti-American, Marxist and "radical left" ideologies.
Source: Hina/FoNet
