Overview

• The State Department’s June 6 diplomatic cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, instructed all U.S. missions to resume Harvard University student and exchange visitor visa processing in accordance with a temporary restraining order.
• U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued the TRO late last month, blocking enforcement of President Trump’s national security–justified ban pending further litigation.
• Consular sections must maintain heightened social media screening and review applicants’ online presence despite the lifted visa restriction.
• The reversal follows a broader Trump administration campaign against Harvard that has frozen $2.2 billion in research grants and proposed revoking the university’s tax-exempt status.
• Harvard argues the administration’s measures amount to retaliation for the university’s refusal to comply with federal demands on governance, curriculum and campus discourse.