A US judge on Friday blocked the US President Donald Trump-led administration from cutting off the enrolment of foreign students at Harvard University. Earlier, Harvard, in its lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston, said that the government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard 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 said in its suit as quoted by news agency AP.
“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
The temporary order was granted by the US District Judge Allison Burroughs.
In the suit, Harvard said that the decision by the Trump administration has thrown the campus into disarray days before graduation. International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors and participate in Harvard sports are now left deciding whether to transfer or risk losing legal status to stay in the country, according to the filing.
According to AP, the impact could be heaviest at the graduate schools, such as the Harvard Kennedy School, where almost half the student body comes from abroad, and also the Harvard Business School, which is about one-third international.
Harvard also said that it immediately puts the school at a disadvantage as it competes for the world’s top students. Even if it regains the ability to host students, “future applicants may shy away from applying out of fear of further reprisals from the government,” the suit said, reports AFP.
Harvard added that if the action of government stands, the varsity would be unable to offer admission to new international students for at least the next two academic years.
Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students, and they come from more than 100 countries.
