Four law firms win temporary court order protecting Harvard from Trump’s ban on foreign students.

Following Harvard University's lawsuit filing on Friday the federal court issued a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to stop them from revoking Harvard University Foreign Students enrollment.

Harvard University received emergency relief from the United States District Judge Allison D. Burroughs after filing a detailed 72-page complaint against government actions which threatened more than 7,000 international students.

Judge Burroughs determined that Harvard College satisfied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(b) requirements by showing proper notice to Defendants and demonstrating potential immediate irreparable harm without a Temporary Restraining Order before all parties can respond.

The Donald Trump administration pulled Harvard University's right to host international students under F-1 and J-1 visa programs on May 22, 2025 which led to the institution filing a lawsuit. Harvard University's certification to host international students after refusing to make wide-ranging changes to its governance structure and faculty hiring practices along with student admissions and international student oversight as demanded by the federal government.

Harvard initiated legal action against HHS and additional federal agencies to contest the Trump administration’s freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding during April 2025.

Harvard claimed that government action aiming to remove a quarter of its student body with a single directive threatens to undermine its academic integrity and international reputation.

The legal challenge from Harvard stands upon three fundamental pillars.

• First Amendment: According to Harvard the government's actions represent unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and retaliatory measures. According to recent Supreme Court precedent established in Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP, Harvard maintains that governments cannot wield regulatory power to sanction certain types of speech or force ideological agreement.

• Administrative Procedure Act (APA): The university claims that its SEVP certification was revoked without proper reasoning or legal justification following an arbitrary and capricious process. The Department of Homeland Security must issue a Notice of Intent to Withdraw according to federal regulations which also mandate a 30-day period for responses. None of these procedures were followed.