Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) — A federal court in Boston on Friday issued a temporary injunction blocking the Donald Trump administration’s policy of barring international students from Harvard University, saying the ban was “justified” to maintain the status quo until the merits of the case can be heard.
If Harvard’s motion for a temporary restraining order is not granted, “the institution will suffer immediate and irreparable harm before all parties have a chance to be heard,” according to a document issued by Judge Allison Burrows of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Accordingly, the Trump administration is prohibited from: implementing, enacting, maintaining, or enforcing the plaintiff’s SEVP revocation; or giving any force or effect to the revocation notice issued by the Department of Homeland Security on May 22, the judge ruled.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the White House’s decision to strip Harvard of its ability to admit international students on Thursday. “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and educational institutions across the country,” Noem said in a statement. “Admitting international students is a privilege, not a right, and that privilege has been revoked because of Harvard’s repeated failure to comply with federal law.”
The minister also noted that in addition to the ban on the enrollment of future international students, “current international students at Harvard must transfer to another university or lose their legal status.”
Earlier on Friday, Harvard University filed a second lawsuit against the Trump administration.
“We condemn this illegal and unjustified action. It jeopardizes the futures of thousands of Harvard students and scholars and sends a disturbing message to countless others at colleges across the country who came to America to study and pursue their dreams,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a letter to the university community.
On April 11, Trump administration officials sent a letter to Harvard demanding that the university undertake “meaningful governance reform and restructuring.” Among the administration’s key demands are rooting out what it calls anti-Semitism on campus and eliminating diversity initiatives that favor certain minority groups.
On April 14, Harvard University rejected the Trump administration’s demands for sweeping changes to its governance, recruitment, and admissions systems. Just hours later, the White House announced it was freezing $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts previously awarded to the university.
On April 16, Noem demanded that Harvard University provide information about illegal and violent activities by holders of foreign student visas by April 30, threatening that otherwise the school would lose its permission to accept foreign students.
On April 21, Harvard University said it had filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s funding freeze, calling the measure “unlawful and beyond the government’s authority.”
According to Harvard, international students made up more than 27 percent of the university’s total enrollment in the fall 2023 semester. –0–