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Harvard filed an amended complaint in federal court on Thursday, claiming that the Trump administration’s decision to ban foreign students with F and J visas from entering the Ivy League is unconstitutional.
Over 7,000 Harvard students hold F-1 or J-1 visas. Without these accreditations, they cannot research, teach or conduct in the United States. The ban also affects family members and dependents.
According to the university lawsuit, the declaration that “no legal basis” does not apply to a wide range of immigrant groups.
“Non-immigrants may enter the country without abatement unless they attend Harvard,” the complaint states.
Trump is down, but not a courtroom fight over Harvard’s foreign student visa
Harvard sues the Trump administration against a visa ban, which calls for political revenge that targets foreign students and punishes university refusal to comply. (Rick Friedman/AFP via Getty Images)
Harvard argues that the measure does not target “alien classes,” but selects Harvard-bound students and calls them “revenge of government” rather than national security measures.
In April, the Trump administration-led federal task force sent universities with a list of requests, including screening student and faculty ideology, assignment of “diversity of perspective” in employment and admissions, and punishment for group of student activists.
The administration also requested that Harvard University report foreign funding sources and allow the government to oversee internal policies.
When Harvard refused, the government froze $2.2 billion in research funding. Trump later posted about the true society that Harvard should lose his tax-free status if he “continued to promote radical ideology.” In another post, he accused him of hiring “awakened, radical left, idiot” and claimed it was no longer a great university.
Trump has accused Harvard of being “very late.”
The alumni hats read “Learn to change the world” at the Harvard launch ceremony held in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 29, 2025. (Libby O’Neill/Getty Images)
The Department of Homeland Security revoked its Harvard University (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) certification a few days later.
Harvard says the administration is now using Trump’s declaration to do that the court has already stopped.
The government argues that Harvard University has failed to provide complete information on the international student population, but the university has submitted all necessary records in law and claims that lapse is an excuse.
“There is no legal justification for government unprecedented behaviour,” the university said in its submission Thursday.
The amended complaint also reveals that Harvard University is represented by Robert Huar, a former special adviser who interviewed former President Joe Biden.
Harvard says the Trump administration is specifically targeting universities. (Getty Images)
“We are seeking to kneel the President’s constitutionally vested power under Article 2. It is a privilege, not a right, for a university to register international students,” DHS Deputy Director Tricia McLaughlin said.
“The Trump administration is committed to restoring common sense on the student visa system. This, or any other lawsuit, will not change that. We have laws, facts and common sense.”
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International students now face uncertainty as legal battles unfold. Jin, a 23-year-old Chinese graduate student intern from Asia, told The Associated Press:
Another student, Jonas Nuguse from Ethiopia, who was accepted after the war and school closures, also told the Associated Press, “I hope the situation is temporary and we can register on time.”
Louis Casiano and David Spunt of Fox News contributed to this report.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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