Harvard University has challenged the Donald Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard described it as an unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands
According to the school, the government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”
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“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,” Harvard said in its suit. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
The school filed for a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Homeland Security from carrying out the move.
The move has thrown campus into disarray days before graduation. Harvard said in the suit International students who run labs, teach courses, assist professors and participate in Harvard sports are now left deciding whether to transfer or risk losing legal status to stay in the country, according to the filing.
The impact is heaviest at graduate schools such as the Harvard Kennedy School, where almost half the student body comes from abroad, and Harvard Business School, which is about one-third international.
Along with its impact on current students, the move blocks thousands of students who were planning to come for summer and fall classes.
Harvard said it immediately puts the school at a disadvantage as it competes for the world’s top students. Even if it regains the ability to host students, “future applicants may shy away from applying out of fear of further reprisals from the government,” the suit said.
The institution said if the government’s action stands, Harvard said, the university would be unable to offer admission to new international students for at least the next two academic years.
Schools that have that certification withdrawn by the federal government are ineligible to reapply until one year afterward, Harvard said.
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