A group of 18 leading US research universities, including Princeton, MIT, Caltech and Johns Hopkins, asked a federal judge for permission to file legal arguments in support of Harvard University in its high-stakes showdown with the Trump administration over more than $2 billion in frozen grant money.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he believes talks with Harvard University are showing signs of progress and he expects the Ivy League school to soon provide the administration a list of foreign students it has requested.

This week, a federal judge sided with Harvard in one of its two lawsuits, blocking an order by President Trump to prevent international students from enrolling.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a directive seeking to block U.S. entry for Harvard’s international students. It marked the administration’s latest effort to squeeze Harvard’s foreign enrollment after a federal judge in Boston blocked the withdrawal of its certification to host students from overseas.