Harvard sues Trump administration, challenges ban on teaching foreigners
On Friday, May 23, Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the administration of US President Donald Trump over its decision to deprive the institution of the opportunity to accept foreign students. This was reported by Reuters.
In a complaint filed in federal court in Boston, Harvard called the revocation a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and it had an "immediate and devastating impact" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.
"With the stroke of a pen, the government is attempting to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who make a significant contribution to the university and its mission. Without international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the document says.
Harvard has asked a federal judge to block the revocation of the license, citing "direct and irreparable harm caused by these illegal actions".
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson commented on the lawsuit.
"If Harvard cared so much about stopping the violence of anti-American, anti-Semitic and pro-terrorist agitators on its campus, it would not be in this situation in the first place," Jackson said.
She added that the institution "should be spending its time and resources on creating a safe campus environment, not filing frivolous lawsuits".
Earlier it became known that US Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Noem ordered the termination of certification under the Harvard University Student Exchange Program from the 2025-2026 academic year.
- On April 14, 2025, it was reported that a group of American professors sued the Trump administration over its threat to withhold $8.7 billion in federal funding from Harvard University.
- On April 17, Noem announced the cancellation of two grants totaling more than $2, 7 million allocated to Harvard University.
- On April 21, Harvard sued the Trump administration over multibillion-dollar cuts to the university's research funding.
