“We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action.”

Harvard University has secured a temporary legal victory in its escalating battle with the Trump administration after a federal judge halted an attempt to block the university from enrolling foreign students. The ruling comes amid a contentious standoff between the federal government and one of America's most prestigious academic institutions.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order on Friday, preventing the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing its decision to revoke Harvard’s access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a critical system that manages international student data and eligibility.

The order delays a directive announced Thursday by the Trump administration, which sought to bar Harvard from enrolling new or continuing international students. The administration claims the university has failed to adequately address antisemitism on campus and needs to reform its hiring and admissions policies, allegations Harvard strongly denies.

In its lawsuit, Harvard accused the administration of "retaliatory" action designed to punish the institution for refusing to bow to political pressure. “With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body,” the university stated in its legal filing. “We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action.”

Harvard President Alan Garber echoed this sentiment in a letter to the university community, calling the federal move a “blatant violation of the law” and an attempt to assert “illegal control” over Harvard’s internal affairs, including its curriculum, faculty, and student body.

The Trump administration, however, remains defiant. In a sharply worded statement following the ruling, White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson accused the judiciary of undermining national security and harboring a “liberal agenda.”

“These unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy,” Jackson said. She added, “If only Harvard cared this much about ending the scourge of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators on their campus, they wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.”

The next court hearing is scheduled for May 29 in Boston, where the legal battle over academic freedom, immigration policy, and the role of government in education is expected to intensify.

For now, Harvard's international students—many of whom feared imminent disruption to their studies—have a momentary reprieve, though uncertainty continues to loom large.