Harvard University's links to China, long an asset to the school, have become a liability as the Trump administration levels accusations that its campus is plagued by Beijing-backed influence operations.

A judge has ordered a temporary restraining order blocking the Administration from revoking Harvard's certification.

"... the government can’t pick and choose which information to share based on ideology," a senior staff attorney with the ACLU said.

Harvard and the federal government are locked in a battle that boils down to turning over records on international students. But Harvard says it is also about the First Amendment.

Harvard University is challenging the Trump administration's decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House's political demands. It is the school's second suit against the Trump administration.

A U.S. judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, a policy the Ivy League school called part of President Donald Trump's broader effort to retaliate against it for refusing to "surrender its academic independence.

The larger legal battle between Harvard and the Trump administration could raise questions of retaliation versus executive authority.

On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security had abruptly revoked the university’s ability to enroll foreign students.

College officials fear that President Trump may use international enrollment as leverage to demand changes on campuses elsewhere.

For students around the world, an acceptance letter to Harvard University has represented the pinnacle of achievement.