US offers to ‘simplify’ Harvard case over foreign student ban

The Trump administration offered Wednesday to “simplify” its lawsuit with Harvard University over a proposed ban on international student enrollment as both sides face off in a broader dispute involving billions in frozen federal funding.
The shift is the latest twist in litigation over the government’s attempt in May to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, citing claims of campus antisemitism and alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. A federal judge quickly blocked the move.

Justice Department lawyers said in the latest court filing that the US would no longer rely on a May 22 letter by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to justify the near-immediate ban it sought. Instead, it plans to move forward through an administrative process to “simplify this case and narrow the issues.”


The government also signaled it was “open to counterproposals and a meet and confer” with Harvard, but the university declined, according to the filing. Harvard has also sued over the Trump administration’s freezing of more than $2 billion in federal research funding.

The dispute involves Harvard’s certification with the Student Exchange and Visitor Program — a requirement for any university to enroll international students. The latest move from DHS does not change Harvard’s SEVP status or that of its international students.

A Harvard spokesman had no comment Wednesday.

The White House views a payment of $500 million by Harvard University as a floor in negotiations for a settlement, and the cost of a deal could climb far higher if the school doesn’t submit to government oversight provisions, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said she expects Columbia University’s recent $221 million settlement with the government to be a template for agreements with other schools. Columbia agreed to reduce the university’s dependence on international students and report any legal infractions by visa holders to immigration officials.

That deal included a monitor role, and the administration is all but insisting that Harvard agree to the same provision.

The case is Harvard v. US Department of Homeland Security, 25-cv-11472, US District Court, District of Massachusetts (Boston).