US State Dept resumes processing Harvard student visas after judge’s ruling

The United States State Department directed all US missions abroad and consular sections to resume processing Harvard University student and exchange visitor visas after a federal judge in Boston last week temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s latest ban on foreign students at the Ivy League institution.

In a diplomatic cable sent last Friday (Jun 6) and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department cited parts of the judge’s decision, saying the fresh directive was ‘in accordance with’ the temporary restraining order.

Under that order granted to Harvard late last Thursday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked Trump’s proclamation from taking effect pending further litigation of the matter.

Trump had cited national security concerns as justification for barring international students from entering the United States to pursue studies at Harvard.

The Trump administration has launched a multi-pronged attack on the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding and proposing to end its tax-exempt status, prompting a series of legal challenges.

Harvard argues that the administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the cable, the State Department added that all other guidance regarding student visas remained in effect, including enhanced social media vetting and the requirement to review the applicants’ online presence.

Source: Reuters

- Agencies