The Trump administration’s plan to exclude overseas students from enrolling at Harvard University, which would have had a major negative impact on the university and its students, has been temporarily halted by a US federal judge. Judge Allison Burroughs ordered a temporary restraining order that keeps the government from carrying out the decision that would have cancelled Harvard’s SEVP certification, enabling the university to keep accepting overseas students.
Background of the Dispute
Harvard’s SEVP certification was revoked by the Trump administration because the university refused to provide the disciplinary records of international students for the previous five years. Harvard had maintained that the demands were an abuse of power and that it had supplied the required information. The action is a factor of a broader conflict between the administration and Harvard, which has refused to change its hiring and admissions procedures to stop campus antisemitism, terminate diversity programs, and submit data on international students.
The decision to bar enrollment of international students would have had serious academic and financial repercussions for Harvard. Approximately 27% of Harvard’s student body is international, and they also make a major financial contribution to the university. Based on tuition fees and other costs, the loss of these students would have resulted in a big financial loss, estimated to be approximately $562 million each year. Students’ academic and professional goals would have been severely disrupted by the move, which would have required them to leave the nation or transfer to another university.
Harvard’s Response
Alan Garber, president of Harvard, denounced the administration’s move and vowed to oppose it in order to preserve the academic autonomy of the university. “We denounce this unjustified and illegal action. It puts the futures of thousands of Harvard professors and students in jeopardy and serves as a message to countless more at universities and institutions around the nation,” Garber said. The decision is a “blatant violation” of the Constitution and federal statutes, according to the university’s lawsuit against the administration.
To decide whether to extend the temporary restraining order, a hearing has been set for May 29. The hearing’s conclusion will have a big impact on Harvard, its international students, and the US higher education system as a whole.
