International US court blocks entry ban for Harvard students
A federal court in the USA has blocked the entry ban announced by President Donald Trump for almost all foreign nationals wishing to study at the elite Harvard University for the time being. Judge Allison D. Burroughs stated in her ruling that the current rules should be upheld until a court hearing.
06.06.2025, 05:34
SDA
The university, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, had sufficiently demonstrated that it would otherwise suffer "immediate and irreparable harm", Burroughs argued. The halt to the project is effective from the date of the announcement and will remain in force until further order of the court.
University can breathe a sigh of relief for now - but in the long term?
The university can therefore breathe a sigh of relief for the time being in its dispute with the US government, even if the final outcome of the proceedings is not yet foreseeable. The university management had only recently appealed against Trump's announcement by extending an existing lawsuit before the court.
The government accuses several universities such as Harvard of having a left-liberal orientation and claims, among other things, that not enough measures have been taken against anti-Semitism. Unlike other universities, Harvard is resisting far-reaching political guidelines from Washington and is taking legal action against them.
Trump announced on Wednesday (local time) that the planned entry restriction would initially apply for six months. Harvard rejected his argument that the entry of foreign nationals wishing to study at the university would be "detrimental to the interests of the United States". According to Trump's announcement, these same people would still be allowed to enter the country as long as they did not want to study at Harvard. Trump's announcement is therefore merely aimed at enforcing his known plan, which is already being legally challenged, according to the revised statement of claim.
Judge already ruled in favor of Harvard in May
The university has been defending itself against the US government's planned exclusion of foreign students since last month. Judge Burroughs had already stopped this plan in May - and has now also extended this decision. For the time being, it prevents the government from prohibiting the university from continuing to accept students from abroad via a special federal program.
