A US federal judge has blocked a recent order by US President Donald Trump, which aimed to prevent international students from attending Harvard University.
US District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order, after the university requested the court to block Trump’s proclamation, which suspends international visas for new students at the oldest and wealthiest university in the country. Foreign students make up around a quarter of the university’s student body.
Judge Burroughs stated that the university would suffer immediate and irreparable harm if the court did not intervene, before all parties could present their arguments against Trump’s decree. The judge’s order remains in effect until the court makes a further decision. A hearing to block Trump’s proclamation permanently has been set for mid-June.
Harvard had requested the blocking of Trump’s ban as part of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to end the university’s ability to enroll international students. The amended lawsuit claimed that Trump’s proclamation violates the First Amendment, by temporarily blocking the entry of nearly all new international Harvard students under the visas they normally use for studying at US universities or for academic exchange programs.