The Left has gone completely off the rails. And now they’re taking it to the legal system.
And Democrats dragged Trump back into court for the most idiotic reason imaginable.
Harvard Challenges Trump Administration’s Revocation of Foreign Student Enrollment
Harvard University launched a federal lawsuit on Friday in the U.S. District Court, contesting the Trump administration’s decision to revoke its authority to enroll international students.
The move escalates tensions between the university and the administration, highlighting a clash over academic freedom, national security, and institutional accountability.
The lawsuit alleges that the revocation, enacted by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, is a “blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act. It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.”
Harvard frames the action as an attack on its autonomy, arguing that the administration’s decision is punitive and legally unfounded.
Noem’s Rationale and Public Statements
On Thursday, Noem announced the revocation on X, stating, “This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus. It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
Her statement reflects the administration’s stance that universities must comply with strict federal regulations to maintain such privileges.
In a letter to Harvard, Noem elaborated, “As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students, and it is also a privilege to employ aliens on campus. All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program regulations, to maintain this privilege. As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege.” The letter highlights the administration’s focus on campus safety and compliance with federal oversight.
Overall Context of Tensions with Federal Funding
The lawsuit follows a prior legal battle in April, when Harvard sued the Trump administration over a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a May 5 letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, criticized the university’s practices, writing:
“The Federal Government has a sacred responsibility to be a wise and important steward of American taxpayer dollars. Harvard University, despite amassing a largely tax-free $53.2 billion dollar endowment (larger than the GDP of 100 countries), receives billions of dollars of taxpayer largess each year. Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right. Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these ‘students’ come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country—and why is there so much HATE?”
McMahon further questioned Harvard’s transparency, stating:
“These are questions that must be answered, among many more, but the biggest question of all is, why will Harvard not give straightforward answers to the American public? Harvard University has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system. It has invited foreign students, who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the United States of America, to its campus. In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities, and any semblance of academic rigor.”
The administration’s rhetoric frames Harvard’s actions as a betrayal of public trust, intensifying the dispute over its enrollment policies.
