Trump order barring Harvard foreign students not retaliatory, says US

By Bob Van Voris

 

The US said that President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring foreign students from entering the country to attend Harvard University was “grounded in national-security and program-integrity concerns,” and not to retaliate against the school.

 

The Trump administration is appealing a court order letting the nation’s oldest university continue enrolling foreign students despite the president’s June 4 proclamation barring their entry to the US. The government urged a federal appeals court in Boston to reinstate the ban, calling it “a lawful exercise of the president’s authority.” 

 

 

US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued a preliminary injunction in June preventing the government from denying entry to international students planning to attend Harvard. 

 

“This case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism,” Burroughs wrote in her decision. 

 

Harvard has been the main target of Trump’s efforts to force universities to crack down on antisemitism, remove perceived political bias and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. Trump also has threatened the school’s tax-exempt status. 

 

The US said Burroughs was wrong to argue that Harvard is likely to succeed on its claims that Trump’s proclamation represents unlawful retaliation, including for the college having sued the administration over earlier actions to cancel its federal grants.

 

The case is Harvard v. US Department of Homeland Security, 25-1627, First US Circuit Court (Boston).