Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced the termination of its student visa program.
“We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,” President Alan Garber told members of the Harvard community on Friday. “It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams. We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars.”
In the DHS announcement, Secretary Kristi Noem said the decision to terminate the school's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification was due to the pro-terrorist conduct of its foreign students, which has made for an unsafe campus environment, and the school’s collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party. Additionally, Noem said Harvard did not fully comply with reporting requirements about its foreign students, a point Garber disputed.
Harvard is being held accountable for collaboration with the CCP, fostering violence, antisemitism, and pro-terrorist conduct from students on its campus. pic.twitter.com/bdJDTtJr8O
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 22, 2025
The lawsuit claims the administration's latest move is a "blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act" and one that is retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the demands from the federal government on the school's governance, curriculum, and more.
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"The government’s actions are unlawful for other equally clear and pernicious reasons," states the suit, which was filed in federal court in Massachusetts. "They disregardthe government’s own regulations—under which Harvard should remain certified to host F-1 andJ-1 visa holders. They depart from decades of settled practice and come without rational explanation. And they were carried out abruptly without any of the robust procedures the government has established to prevent just this type of upheaval to thousands of students’ lives.
"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 continues.
Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard. https://t.co/V8uvTNaL64
— Harvard University (@Harvard) May 23, 2025
Harvard had about 6,800 international students in the 2024-2025 school year.
Editor's Note: This is a breaking news post and may be updated with additional information.
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