A hearing is scheduled for Monday, June 16, involving a declaration that blocks international students from entering the country to attend Harvard University. On June 5, Judge Allison D. Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order against the ban. On Monday, Burroughs will decide whether to block the proclamation indefinitely.
The Trump administration has said that it is punishing Harvard because it has failed to keep Jewish students safe by allowing antisemitic behavior on its campus. Harvard has denied the accusations.
The latest proclamation cited national security concerns and accused Harvard of failing to comply with federal requests for information about foreign students. The White House claimed Harvard withheld data on illegal or violent activity and has financial ties to foreign governments, including China.
The proclamation suspended the issuance of new student and exchange visitor visas for individuals intending to attend Harvard, and authorized Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evaluate whether to revoke existing visas.
Harvard estimates that visa revocations could affect more than 7,000 international students and recent graduates. The school sued the administration, stating the White House was attempting to bypass earlier court decisions and penalize the school for exercising its First Amendment rights.
In the amended complaint, Harvard wrote that Trump’s proclamation was “a transparent attempt to circumvent the temporary restraining order this Court already entered against the summary revocation of Harvard’s [Student and Exchange Visitor Program] certification.”
Not the first lawsuit
Another lawsuit involving the government and Harvard goes to court on July 21. That case is over the freezing of more than $2 billion in federal funding. Harvard says the Trump administration did not take the necessary steps before canceling its federal funds, prompting a lawsuit.
According to the New York Times, the government began terminating federal funding to Harvard on May 5, starting a 120-day clock, the university wrote in court documents. On June 2, the university filed a motion requesting summary judgment, or a quick victory, no later than early September.