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In a decisive legal move, Harvard University on Thursday evening requested a federal judge to halt a new presidential order that bars international students from enrolling, marking a swift response to President Trump’s latest proclamation.

Building on an existing lawsuit, the university also submitted an additional claim against the administration.

The order, issued by the White House on Wednesday at 8 p.m., marks the third attempt within a month by the Trump administration to restrict international student enrollment at Harvard—an action the university argues infringes on its First Amendment rights.

According to court filings, Harvard accused the administration of sidestepping a prior court ruling that had blocked the Department of Homeland Security from imposing such restrictions. The university further contended that President Trump unlawfully wielded executive power to target the institution after regulatory avenues failed.

Harvard Expands Legal Battle Against Trump’s Order on International Students

Shortly after filing a new legal motion, Harvard President Alan M. Garber released a statement assuring that the university’s international office was actively supporting students and scholars potentially impacted by the White House’s latest directive. He confirmed that Harvard was working on “contingency plans” to ensure international students and scholars could continue their academic and research activities this summer and into the next academic year.

A spokesperson for the White House declined to comment on the matter.

Harvard Alleges Political Targeting 

The amended complaint, filed Thursday, marks the latest move in Harvard’s ongoing legal battle with the Trump administration — a conflict that began in April when the university defied a list of federal demands. These demands included barring students perceived as "hostile to American values" and subjecting the campus to a “viewpoint diversity” audit.

Harvard has become a prime focus of the administration's broader campaign to reshape higher education in line with President Trump’s political ideology. In retaliation for Harvard's resistance, the federal government announced plans to withdraw nearly $3 billion in contracts and grants.

Though the administration initially claimed its actions were intended to combat campus antisemitism, it has since expanded the scope to target the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, as well as its academic partnerships with China.

Federal Threats, Visa Revocations, and Diversity Audits at the Heart of Dispute

The presidential proclamation issued Wednesday night appears to impact only new international students, including around 300 incoming freshmen expected this fall. The effect on international graduate students remains unclear.

In a further escalation, President Trump urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking visas of currently enrolled international students at Harvard — a move that could impact approximately 5,000 students, in addition to 2,000 recent graduates working in the U.S. under post-study visas.

Earlier attempts to block foreign enrollment had been spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security but were temporarily halted by Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the Federal District Court in Boston. Harvard has filed multiple lawsuits in that court, and Thursday’s filing amended one of those suits, also requesting an emergency restraining order to stop the new proclamation’s enforcement.

Harvard’s legal team argues that the law cited in the proclamation — which allows the president to block entry of foreign nationals deemed harmful to the country — is not applicable. The university noted that international students barred from Harvard could still legally enter the U.S. and enroll elsewhere, undermining the administration’s rationale.

The complaint also points to reports that the administration convened top officials to devise additional ways to penalize Harvard, even after Judge Burroughs blocked its earlier enforcement attempt. Additionally, Secretary Rubio, in a May 30 cable, launched a pilot program for enhanced social media vetting of visa applicants, choosing Harvard as the sole institution for the initiative.

University Argues Ban Disrupts Global Learning 

In its complaint, Harvard asserts that the administration's actions are less about national interest and more about political retaliation. “The government’s efforts to bar international students at Harvard fundamentally alter the education that Harvard endeavors to provide to all its students — including domestic students — as it prepares them to contribute to and lead in our global society,” the university wrote.