The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, and its Massachusetts chapter (CAIR-MA) today welcomed a federal judge’s decision to temporarily block the Trump administration from stripping Harvard University of its certification to enroll international students, calling the administration’s action an attack on academic freedom, diversity, and fundamental constitutional rights.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued the ruling Friday, just hours after Harvard filed a lawsuit alleging that the Department of Homeland Security’s move to revoke its participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) was retaliatory and unlawful. The court found that Harvard would face “immediate and irreparable injury” if the government were allowed to proceed with the revocation before a full hearing could take place.
In a statement, CAIR-MA Executive Director Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Esq. said:
“This ruling affirms what we and so many others across the country have been warning: the Trump administration is weaponizing federal power to punish institutions that refuse to conform to its ideological agenda. We commend the federal judiciary for stepping in to defend international students and uphold the rule of law.
“This administration’s attempt to erase the presence of international students from elite academic spaces is not only a xenophobic overreach — it is a direct attack on academic freedom and the global exchange of ideas that make our institutions strong. The Muslim community, which includes a significant population of international students, is deeply impacted by these draconian policies.”
CAIR said it stands in solidarity with Harvard’s international student community and all academic institutions resisting efforts to politicize and control university governance. The civil rights organization is also urging the Trump administration and future administrations to ensure that student visa policies are guided by fairness, educational opportunity, and respect for institutional autonomy, not political vendettas.
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CONTACT: Barbara J. Dougan, Esq., CAIR-MA Legal Director, (781) 281-9992, bdougan@cair.com; Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Esq., CAIR-MA Executive Director, (617) 862-9159, tamatul-wadud@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com