President Donald Trump on Wednesday restricted Harvard University’s international students from entering the U.S. in the latest showdown against the Ivy League institution.

Barely two weeks after barring Harvard from enrolling international students, a decision that U.S. District judge Allison Burroughs has temporarily reversed, Mr Trump issued a proclamation to deny visas to international students admitted to Harvard University.

“I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” Mr Trump wrote in the proclamation on Wednesday.

“Harvard University has refused the recent requests of the DHS for information about foreign students’ ‘known illegal activity, ‘known dangerous and violent activity, known threats to other students or university personnel, known deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel, and whether those activities occurred on campus,’” Mr Trump stated.

Jason Newton, the institution’s spokesperson, called Mr Trump’s proclamation “illegal”.

“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” said Mr  Newton. “Harvard will continue to protect its international students.”

U.S. attorney general Pamela Bondi defended her principal’s proclamation, asserting that attending a U.S. elite school is a privilege, not a right, for international students.

“Admission to the United States to study at an ‘elite’ American university is a privilege, not a right,” Ms Bondi wrote in a statement on X. “This Department of Justice will vigorously defend the President’s proclamation suspending the entry of new foreign students at Harvard University based on national security.”

The Trump and Harvard fiasco began earlier in the year over antisemitic concerns but came to a head in April after the prestigious institution failed to cave to the administration’s demands for admission and disciplinary measures against its international students.

In retaliation, the Trump administration cancelled billions of dollars in funding from the school and threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

Last month, Mr Trump’s administration paused visa appointments for international students, asserting that authorities are working on how to scrutinise their social media accounts for antisemitic posts.

The U.S. State Department on May 29 announced it would work with the Department of Homeland Security to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students”.