A federal judge late Thursday issued a restraining order halting President Trump’s latest attempt to shut down Harvard University’s pipeline of foreign students.
Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama appointee, said the school faced “irreparable injury” if it lost access to those students.
She issued her restraining order without waiting for the administration to have a chance to argue its case.
Mr. Trump on Wednesday had issued a proclamation accusing Harvard of running an antisemitic and unsafe campus and cooperating with Chinese adversaries.
He ordered the government to deny entry to any foreign student coming to study at Harvard, and to see if it makes sense to revoke visas of current students.
That’s what Judge Burroughs halted.
She had previously blocked an effort by Homeland Security to boot Harvard out of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. In her ruling Thursday she extended that earlier blockade for another two weeks.
Mr. Trump has gone to war with Harvard, the country’s oldest and wealthiest college.
His administration has taken away some grant money and the president has threatened still more actions.
Harvard says the president is trying to punish the school for not bowing to his wishes on hiring and curriculum decisions.
