Critics worry that the spending package, now headed to the Senate, would have a “historic and negative impact” on college access.
Higher education advocates praised the ruling, while the agency promised to immediately challenge the preliminary injunction.
Thousands of foreign students attending Harvard must now "transfer or lose their legal status," according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
During a budget hearing, some Republicans indicated support for dismantling the agency, while Democrats panned the proposed cuts.