Harvard sues Trump administration over its ban on enrolment of foreign students

Harvard sued US President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday over its move to revoke the university’s ability to enrol foreign students, about a fifth of whom hail from China.

In a complaint filed in federal court in Boston, Harvard called the move a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution’s First Amendment and due process clause, noting that it had an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,” Harvard added.

“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” the complaint continued.

In a Friday email to the Harvard community, the university’s president, Alan M. Garber, said that a motion for a temporary restraining order would follow, vowing to international students that the university would do its “utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world”.

Hours later, a federal judge issued the restraining order, temporarily blocking the policy from coming into effect.