In a fresh escalation of the Harvard vs Trump war, the university has now amended their lawsuit against the Trump administration. The university, in a court filing, asked a judge on Thursday for an emergency intervention to stop the US President’s order that prevents the foreign students from getting visas and entering the US.
This adds to a lawsuit Harvard had already filed on May 23, which challenged a separate attempt by the Trump administration to block the university from enrolling international students.
The amended lawsuit says that Trump’s order goes against the First Amendment. It temporarily blocks nearly all new international students from entering the US under the visas that are usually used to study at universities or join academic exchange programs. International students make up around 27% of Harvard’s student body and it is the oldest and richest university in the US.
Trump had earlier said that Harvard was not sharing records about international student misconduct, and claimed this could be a threat to national security. His order banned Harvard’s foreign students and researchers from coming to the US. Last month, the government also revoked the university’s right to sponsor their visas.
As per CNN, the amended complaint reads, “With the stroke of a pen, the DHS Secretary and the President have sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission and the country.” It further added, “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Trump’s order is based on a law that allows the president to block the entry of “any class of aliens whose entry would be detrimental” to the interests of the US, the legal filing says, reported CNN. However, Harvard argues that the order doesn’t actually block a group like that. Instead, it points out, “To the contrary, nonimmigrants may enter the country unabated, as long as they do not attend Harvard.”
Harvard President Alan Garber responds
Harvard President Alan Garber, in a message to the university community on Thursday, called the proclamation “yet another illegal step taken by the Administration to retaliate against Harvard.”
He added that, while they wait for the court’s response, the university is working on backup plans to help international students and scholars continue their studies and research at Harvard during the summer and the upcoming academic year.
Both lawsuits say Trump is punishing Harvard in an illegal way because the university didn’t follow what he wanted. They claim this violates Harvard’s right to free speech. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not reply right away when asked for a comment.
