The Department of Homeland Security made the announcement, saying Harvard has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus.
In a significant development, the Donald Trump administration on Friday revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.
Why did Trump administration take such a move?
The Department of Homeland Security made the announcement, saying Harvard has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus.
It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, saying it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024. “This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the agency said in a statement.
Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students
Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, accounting for more than a quarter of its student body. Most are graduate students, coming from more than 100 countries.
However, Harvard called the action unlawful and said it’s working to provide guidance to students. “This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the university said in a statement.
The development comes from an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The letter demanded that Harvard turn over information about foreign students that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.
In a letter to Harvard on Thursday, Noem said the school’s sanction is “the unfortunate result of Harvard’s failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” It bars Harvard from hosting international students for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.
How Trump’s move will affect international students
The move could significantly affect the university, which enrolls nearly 6,800 international students, most of them in graduate programs. Those students may now have to scramble to figure out their next steps.
The Department of Homeland Security took this latest step because Harvard refused to comply with requests to produce records about its foreign students, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a letter.
Noem accused Harvard of “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies and employs racist diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies.’”
Does the US government have authority over private college’s enrollment?
The US government has authority over who comes into the country. The Department of Homeland Security oversees which colleges are part of the Student Exchange and Visitor Program, and on Thursday it said it would remove Harvard. The program gives colleges the ability to issue documentation to foreign students admitted to the schools. Then, the students apply to obtain visas to study in the United States.
Will Harvard’s current international students be allowed to graduate?
Students who completed their degrees this semester will be allowed to graduate. Noem’s letter said the changes would take effect for the 2025-2026 school year. Harvard’s Class of 2025 is expected to graduate next week.
However, students who have yet to complete their degree need to transfer to another university, Noem said, or they’ll lose their legal permission to remain in the US.
(With inputs from AP)
