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

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By Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department directed all U.S. 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 ban on foreign students at the Ivy League institution.

In a diplomatic cable sent on June 6 and signed by U.S. 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 on Thursday, U.S. 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 U.S. 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 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.

In response to a request for comment, the State Department said it does not comment on internal communications.

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.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Deepa Babington and David Gregorio)