Attorneys General Challenge Federal Ban on International Students at Harvard

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Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, alongside a coalition of 21 other state attorneys general, has submitted an amicus brief to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. This legal action seeks to uphold a prior court order that blocked a presidential proclamation aimed at preventing international students from attending Harvard University. The coalition argues that the federal government’s attempts to ban international students from academic institutions threaten the economic well-being and global standing of states across the nation.

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The attorneys general contend that the administration’s actions against international students and universities are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and to retaliate against those who express dissent regarding the administration’s policies. Initially, the Trump administration attempted to revoke Harvard’s certification for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which would have barred international students and academics from continuing their studies and potentially jeopardized their immigration status. Following a lawsuit by Harvard, a district court issued a preliminary injunction halting this action. However, the administration then issued a proclamation suspending the entry of any international student studying at Harvard on specific education visas, an attempt to bypass the court’s order.

The coalition asserts that this broader ban on international students attending Harvard extends its detrimental effects beyond a single institution. Such actions imperil academic institutions nationwide and undermine the United States’s leadership in education and scientific innovation. International students contribute significantly to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of universities across the country, enhancing America’s overall global competitiveness. The attorneys general are urging the appellate court to recognize these far-reaching consequences and to prevent the federal government from targeting international students and penalizing academic institutions based on their viewpoints. They express concern that this approach sends a discouraging message globally, suggesting that students and academics who choose to study or work in the U.S. risk abrupt disruption to their academic or professional pursuits, and even detention or deportation, at the discretion of the federal government. The coalition’s brief asks the court to affirm the district court’s preliminary injunction, thereby continuing to block the Trump administration’s actions while the case progresses. The states joining Maryland in this effort include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the Maryland Attorney General.

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