A federal court in Massachusetts has temporarily halted a decision by the Donald Trump administration that barred Harvard University from admitting international students. Judge Allison D. Burroughs on Monday, May 29, granted Harvard's request for a preliminary injunction and upheld the validity of the government's previous temporary restraining order.
On May 22, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it was decertifying Harvard University under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). It would lose the right to enroll international students. Harvard responded by filing suit just one day later - on May 23 - and the judge immediately issued a temporary injunction to maintain the status quo.
The current decision means that Harvard can continue to accept international students for the time being. But the department insists that it will continue to seek administrative decertification.
Judge Burroughs said that the interim order would remain in force until it was replaced by a full interim measure, the form of which would now be negotiated and proposed by both parties for a final decision.
This development is seen as a temporary but significant victory for Harvard and an important precedent for other universities facing restrictions on international students.
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