By Molly Claire Goddard
5:18am PDT, May 24, 2025
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Another federal judge is keeping the guardrails on
Donald Trump and his administration.
On Thursday, May 22, the current president and Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem announced the cancellation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at Harvard, forcing international students to return to their home countries. However, U.S. District Judge
Jeffrey S. White in California issued a nationwide injunction halting the action.
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In blocking Donald Trump's action against Harvard and its students, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White prohibited the administration from arresting or detaining any foreign-born students on the basis of their immigration status.
In
his decision, the legal authority emphasized how the action "wreaked havoc" on the lives of students from other countries.
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In a Thursday, May 22, statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed Donald Trump and his administration were making the bold move in response to Harvard's lack of action toward antisemitism on campus.
"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," she alleged. "It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll
foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments."
"Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused," the former governor of South Dakota continued. "Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."
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Harvard fired back at Kristi Noem, Donald Trump and the extreme action from the Republican administration to kick international students off campus.
"We are fully committed to maintaining
Harvard's ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably," a spokesperson for the college said in a statement. "We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission."
On Friday, May 23, Harvard sued the Trump administration over the matter.
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In April, Kristi Noem and Donald Trump threatened Harvard by claiming they would take away federal funding and revoke student visas if they did not comply with their rules about protestors on campus.
"If Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students," a Wednesday, April 16, letter from the administration to the school warned. "Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — driven by its spineless leadership — fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security. With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms,
Harvard's position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars."
