Penn signed an amicus brief supporting Harvard University in its lawsuit against the federal government after the Department of Homeland Security attempted to block Harvard from enrolling international students.
The Jan. 20 brief argued that eliminating Harvard’s student visa program would disrupt the inflow of talent from international students into the United States — negatively targeting not only Harvard but several other institutions. In total, 47 colleges and universities, including the entire Ivy League, joined the case.
A University spokesperson declined to comment on the “ongoing litigation.”
The brief argued that international talent has strengthened America’s status as a global leader, adding that student visa programs have successfully attracted foreign enrollment. Gutting the programs, according to the filing, would effectively prevent American progress.
“The cancellation of Harvard’s student visa program, if allowed to stand, will disrupt this pipeline of talent and inflict profound harms—both short and long term,” they wrote. “The impact is not limited to the targeted school: other institutions see the chilling effects of this cancellation in their own student bodies, as talented individuals from other countries choose to go elsewhere rather than face uncertainty about their visa status.”
The universities and colleges supported their submission of the brief on the grounds that they similarly enroll international students and, as a result, depend on their importance.
The brief mentions various scientific breakthroughs by Penn faculty that relied on the contributions of international researchers or students — including the work of former Penn professor Katalin Karikó, who came to the United States from Hungary and later won the Nobel Peace Prize for developing mRNA vaccines during the pandemic.
According to the brief, “immigrant faculty members” at Penn also coordinated the first computer-designed antibiotic with efficacy in animal models and helped to invent lab-grown human organs for preclinical drug testing.
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“The need to attract top talent is, if anything, even more pressing today than ever before, as other global powers seek to surpass the United States as the global leader in innovation,” the brief continued. “Simply put, researchers and innovators who were born beyond the United States’ borders have made transformational contributions to the nation’s economy, health, and security.”
In May 2025, the DHS announced plans to revoke Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program — removing the university’s ability to issue visas for international students and scholars during the 2025-26 academic year.
The notice accused Harvard of refusing to “comply with multiple requests to provide the DHS pertinent information” and perpetuating “an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies.”
Harvard sued the next day to uphold a judge’s injunction restricting the federal government from preventing international enrollment.
“Cancelling student visas—even at one university—risks undermining the entire system, and with it, all the ways visa recipients contribute to the United States,” the amicus brief stated.
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Staff reporter Gabrielle Ostad covers campus politics and can be reached at ostad@dailypennsylvanian.com. At Penn, she studies Middle Eastern studies and international relations.
