Attorney General Bonta Joins Amicus Brief Challenging Trump Administration’s Efforts to Unlawfully Bar International Students from Attending Harvard University

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a coalition of 21 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in support of Harvard University's lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's unjustified and illegal decision to bar international students from entering the United States to attend the university. The Trump Administration's attacks come in retaliation to Harvard's refusal to cave to earlier demands by the President that the university restructure its internal governance, change its hiring and admissions practices, and modify its curriculum. In the brief, the attorneys general urge the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to uphold the lower court's preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from implementing or enforcing its unlawful student visa policies.

"The Trump Administration's attacks against Harvard are unlawful, retaliatory, and fundamentally incompatible with the rule of law," said Attorney General Bonta. "But it's not just an attack on Harvard, it's an attack on our higher education system, which depends on international students to remain globally competitive. California stands with Harvard in challenging these attacks on academic independence and integrity."

Colleges and universities across the country - public and private - welcome the presence of international students to sustain local economies, drive innovation, and enrich campus and community life. Each year, international students contribute significantly through tuition, living expenses, and related spending, supporting jobs and economic activity nationwide. In fact, international students pay higher tuition rates which enhance public universities' ability to serve lower-income in-state students by subsidizing reduced tuition rates for domestic students. Beyond their financial impact, international students enrich campus life through their diverse perspectives and contributions to innovation and research advancements that help maintain the competitiveness and prestige of our colleges and universities.

The Trump Administration's unlawful policies have upended Harvard's ability enroll, educate, and employ international students. Without justification, the Trump Administration first revoked Harvard's certification to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). When the District Court enjoined that revocation, the Administration attempted to circumvent that court order and abruptly issued a sweeping proclamation suspending entry to the United States for any international student studying at Harvard on an F or J visa.

In the amicus brief, the attorneys general argue that if the Trump Administration's attack on Harvard is not blocked, it would give the Administration license to take similar actions against other universities. In fact, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has made clear that Harvard is just the beginning and warned other schools that the same fate could befall them if they don't cede to the Trump Administration's demands.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to defending students' and academic institutions' rights to free speech protected under the First Amendment. In October, Attorney General Bonta co-led a multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief in support of The Stanford Daily in its lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its targeting and punishment of noncitizens with lawful status, especially college students and faculty who express political beliefs with which the Administration disagrees. Similarly, earlier this year, Attorney General Bonta, along with 19 other state attorneys general, filed an amicus brief challenging the Trump Administration's executive orders allowing for the ideologically-motivated revocation of visas for students and faculty who exercise their free speech and association rights.

In filing the brief, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of Massachusetts, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.