The suspension came hours after conservative activist Laura Loomer posted videos on social media showing that Palestinians 'who claim to be refugees from Gaza' had entered the U.S. via San Francisco and Houston this month.

The lawsuit argues there is little connection between the Trump administration's stated goal—compelling universities to crack down on campus anti-Semitism—and the means it is using to achieve that end.

'If Harvard, or any institution for that matter, does not wish to comply with this basic legal obligation, the proper avenue for achieving this is simple: do not take federal financial assistance,' the lawmakers wrote.