US judge blocks Trump administration decision to bar foreign students at Harvard University

WASHINGTON: A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration decision to revoke Harvard University's ability to enrol international students.

The temporary restraining order stops the government from pulling Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which allows the school to host international students with visas to study in the US. Harvard University filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Massachusetts earlier Friday.

Chinese students make up a large part of Harvard University's international student population. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school's data, with 1,203 of those coming from China.

The threat to Harvard's international enrollment stems from an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that Harvard provide information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.