Harvard Sues Trump Over Ban On International Student Enrollment

Harvard University has filed a federal lawsuit against the administration of former President Donald Trump over a controversial decision to revoke its ability to enroll international students, including thousands from countries like Nigeria.

In a suit filed Friday in a Boston federal court, Harvard argues that the move violates the First Amendment and would cause “immediate and devastating” harm to both the institution and its international student population, which makes up over 27% of the student body.

“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,” the lawsuit states.

The legal challenge follows a Department of Homeland Security announcement to strip Harvard of its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, effectively barring the university from admitting foreign students.

The Trump administration claims Harvard has failed to properly address antisemitism and has resisted reforms to its hiring and admissions policies—allegations the university strongly denies.

Harvard President Alan Garber condemned the move as “unlawful and unwarranted,” accusing the government of retaliating against the university for refusing to cede its academic independence. “The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body,” he wrote in a public letter.

The lawsuit also seeks an emergency injunction to block the decision, adding to the deepening legal standoff between Harvard and the former president. Earlier this year, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status—sparking a separate legal battle.

Harvard is one of several elite institutions facing mounting pressure from the Trump camp, which has accused top universities of fostering pro-Palestinian sentiment and suppressing conservative voices.