By Molly Claire Goddard
2:54am PDT, May 30, 2025
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Harvard scored a major win in their battle against
Donald Trump.
On Thursday, May 29, a federal judge in Boston, Mass.,
Allison Burroughs, confirmed she would issue a preliminary injunction to stop the president and his administration from taking away the Ivy League school's ability to host
international students.
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During an emergency hearing on Donald Trump's attempt to keep international learners off
Harvard's campus, Judge Allison Burroughs issued a strong ruling against the Republican administration.
"I want to maintain the status quo," the legal authority
said in court.
Burroughs instructed the school's attorneys and Justice Department lawyers to negotiate an agreement to halt the revocation of the student visa program until a more permanent decision is made.
"It doesn't need to be draconian, but I want to make sure it's worded in such a way that nothing changes," she made clear.
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Harvard sued Donald Trump and his administration after his Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem announced the
cancelation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," she alleged in a statement. "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. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."
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In another major hurdle for foreign students, on Tuesday, May 27, Donald Trump, Secretary of State
Marco Rubio and other members of the administration reportedly sent a memo announcing they are requiring all United States embassies and consulates to
pause any visa applicant interviews for international learners for the time being.
"Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor … visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued … which we anticipate in the coming days," the internal cable obtained by
Politico stated.
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On Wednesday, May 28, Donald Trump and
Marco Rubio revealed they will be "aggressively" taking away visas for a segment of
Chinese students who were studying in "critical fields" or who have any association with the Chinese Communist Party.
"Under President Trump's leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," Rubio said in a statement. "We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong."
