Judge Temporarily Halts Donald Trump’s Ban on Harvard’s International Students

A U.S. District Judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s order of barring International students of Harvard University from entering the country.

Judge Allison Burroughs from Boston, Massachusetts blocked the ban by issuing a two-page temporary restraining order against the proclamation the President signed to restrict international students visas at Harvard for an initial six months, providing the university with temporary relief.

The federal judge ruled that the order, signed on Wednesday, would lead to Harvard sustaining “immediate and irreparable injury”.

In the order, Trump stated: “I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers.”

It also claimed that Harvard had “demonstrated a history of concerning foreign ties and radicalism”, had “extensive entanglements with foreign adversaries”, such as China, and had witnessed a “drastic rise in crime in recent years while failing to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus.”

But a few hours after the ban was ordered, the institution responded with a statement amending their lawsuit and claiming that Trump’s move was “yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights.

“Harvard will continue to protect its international students.”

Harvard President Alan Garber also revealed in a statement that “contingency plans are being developed to ensure that international students and scholars can continue to pursue their work at Harvard this summer and through the coming academic year.

“Each of us is part of a truly global university community, the statement added. “We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable.”

The highly-revered university has been involved in a tense legal row with the Trump administration after it froze billions in federal research grants for the institution in April with yesterday’s order being the Trump administration’s latest action to challenge the country’s oldest college.

SEE ALSO: Harvard Sue Trump Administration Over Ban on International Student Enrollment