A United States judge on Friday, May 23, issued a temporary order blocking the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University’s certification to enrol international students.
The decision offers a reprieve to thousands of foreign students, including Kenyans, whose academic future at the Ivy League institution had been at risk.
The Trump administration had directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to terminate Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. This would have prevented the university from enrolling non-US students starting the 2025–2026 academic year, forcing current international students to transfer or risk deportation.
Among those affected were Kenyan students, whose enrollment status at the Massachusetts-based university was threatened. The directive prompted Harvard to sue the federal government, arguing the move would dismantle its academic programs.
“Without international students, Harvard was not Harvard,” the university stated in court documents, noting the policy would disrupt “countless” academic courses, research labs, and clinics just days before graduation.
In the suit, Harvard also argued that the administration’s decision violated federal laws and the US Constitution, including the First Amendment’s protection of free speech.
The Trump administration, through Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accused Harvard of fostering antisemitism, violence, and alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party—claims the university denied.
In the current academic year, Harvard enrolled about 6,800 international students—approximately 27 per cent of its total enrollment—marking the highest proportion since 2006.
Kenya has a long-standing academic presence at Harvard, with notable alumni including former Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge, Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung’u, and veteran journalist the late Hillary Ng’weno. As of 2014, 48 Kenyan students were enrolled at the institution, though the number dropped to 35 by 2018.
Tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard had been escalating, with the former recently freezing US$3 billion (KSh 387 billion) in federal grants to the university—an action also challenged in court.
