Harvard University Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Over Student Ban

Harvard University has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a policy that barred the institution from enrolling international students. The university claims the action violates the First Amendment and poses a significant threat to its academic mission.

In a complaint filed in Boston federal court on Friday, Harvard argued that the decision is a form of unconstitutional retaliation for the university’s refusal to comply with political pressure from the White House. The lawsuit states that the policy would “immediately and devastatingly” impact the university and over 7,000 international students holding visas.

“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, according to the Associated Press.

Harvard’s legal team highlighted that the administration’s actions are a direct response to the university’s exercise of its First Amendment rights to resist government demands regarding its governance, curriculum, and the “ideology” of its faculty and students. The university has stated it will seek a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from enforcing the directive.

The Trump administration’s policy was announced in late April, alleging that Harvard had fostered an unsafe campus by enabling “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to target Jewish students. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also accused the university of having ties with the Chinese Communist Party, claiming Harvard hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

Harvard President Alan Garber responded to the allegations, stating that the university had made changes to its governance and implemented a broad anti-antisemitism strategy. He emphasized that Harvard would not compromise on its “core, legally-protected principles” in the face of political retaliation. The university also said it would respond separately to the CCP allegations made by House Republicans.

The immediate threat to Harvard’s foreign enrollment arose from an April 16 directive by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that the university submit records on international students allegedly involved in violent protests or other “dangerous activity.” Noem stated Harvard could regain its ability to host international students only by turning over comprehensive documentation, including audio and video footage of foreign students at protests, within 72 hours.

This lawsuit is distinct from Harvard’s earlier legal battle against over $2 billion in federal funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration. The university has faced multiple legal challenges in recent years over the administration’s policies and actions.

Harvard’s legal team has also outlined the specific records the administration sought from the university, including:

• The administration sought records of any audio or video footage regarding any illegal/violent activity on or off the campus by a non-immigrant student. An informal record will also do.
• Record of any threat to other students or university personnel on or off campus by a non-immigrant student in the last five years.
• Any record of deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel by nonimmigrant students.
• All disciplinary records of non-immigrant students, footage of any protest activity. All these records pertain to non-immigrant students in the last five years.

Harvard has vowed to challenge the administration’s policies in court, asserting that they are an unconstitutional attempt to suppress academic freedom and student rights. The university remains committed to its mission of academic excellence and diversity, and it will not yield to political pressure.