Trump vs Harvard: All you need to know about international students showdown between Harvard and White House

A federal showdown between the Trump administration and Harvard University over international student admissions escalated this week, after a judge extended an order blocking the government from revoking Harvard’s ability to enrol foreign students.

The university had returned to court seeking to extend a temporary order that had prevented the administration from revoking its right to host overseas students. Judge Allison Burroughs had granted an emergency block last week that marked the most severe escalation yet in its ongoing clash with higher education institutions.

Here’s a timeline of how the latest standoff unfolded:

📌May 22:
The Department of Homeland Security formally revokes Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), effectively preventing the university from enrolling international students—who make up more than a quarter of its student body. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accuses Harvard of failing to provide student conduct information requested by her agency and of “permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals.”

Harvard quickly pushes back, saying in a statement: “The government’s action is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably.”

📌May 23:
Harvard files a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from enforcing the SEVP decertification. Within hours, US District Judge Allison Burroughs—now presiding over this second case—grants a temporary restraining order.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body,” the lawsuit states, calling the administration’s actions “clear retaliation” against constitutionally protected speech.

Responding to the lawsuit, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin says:
“The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense to our student visa system; no lawsuit, this or any other, is going to change that. We have the law, the facts, and common sense on our side.”

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📌May 26:
President Trump escalates the feud in a social media post, threatening to divert $3 billion in federal grants from the Ivy league to US trade schools over its response to campus anti-Israel protests. He also accuses the university of “judge shopping” by filing both lawsuits before Judge Burroughs—even though Harvard, based in Massachusetts, would typically bring cases in Boston’s federal court.

In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land. What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!”

Trump also accused the university of dragging its feet in disclosing data on foreign students, implying a national security threat.

“We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard so that we can determine, after a ridiculous expenditure of BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,” he said, adding, “Harvard is very slow in the presentation of these documents, and probably for good reason!”

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📌May 28:
Trump suggests imposing a cap on international student admissions at the Ivy league. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he says:

“Harvard has to show us their lists. They have foreign students – almost 31 per cent of their students. We want to know where those students come from, whether they are troublemakers, and what countries they come from….These countries aren’t helping us. They’re not investing in Harvard … we are. So why would 31 per cent – why would a number so big…I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15 per cent, not 31 per cent,” he said.

“We have people (who) want to go to Harvard and other schools, they can’t get in because we have foreign students there.”

He goes on to imply—without offering evidence—that Harvard’s international student records may include “very radical people.”

📌May 29:
In a late court filing, the Trump administration tells Judge Burroughs it will give Harvard 30 days to make its case for reinstatement in the SEVP, arguing that this internal review eliminates the need for further judicial intervention. But Harvard’s legal team disagrees—and so does Burroughs, who orders that Harvard’s international admissions remain “status quo” while the case proceeds.

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As the court hearing concluded, nearly 9,000 Harvard students graduate in a ceremony marked by reflections on the university’s high-stakes political battle. President Alan Garber receives a minute-long standing ovation for his stance against the White House.

Don't miss | What Trump administration wants from Harvard to keep foreign students

In April, Harvard became the first university to sue the Trump administration over billions in cuts to federally funded research, triggering a high-stakes standoff with the White House. Earlier this week, the administration escalated the dispute by announcing it would cancel all remaining government contracts with the institution. Altogether, around $3 billion in federal grants and contracts have been cut or frozen.

While those cuts have already disrupted vital medical and scientific research, the administration’s latest move targeting international students has caused widespread panic. Thousands of current and incoming students have scrambled to secure last-minute transfers, cancelled summer travel for fear of not being allowed back into the US, or begun to reconsider studying there altogether. Meanwhile, some foreign universities have moved quickly to take advantage of the uncertainty, actively courting Harvard students away from the US.