US government revokes Harvard’s right to enrol foreign students in major escalation

NEW YORK – Mr Donald Trump’s administration on May 22 revoked Harvard’s right to enrol foreign nationals – more than a quarter of the student body – in an escalation of the president’s fight against the prestigious university.

The government is forcing current foreign students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, while also threatening to expand the crackdown to other colleges.

The university in Cambridge, Massachusetts quickly slammed the move as “unlawful” and said it would cause “serious harm” to both the campus and the country as a whole.

Mr Trump is furious with Harvard – which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners – for rejecting his demand that it submit to oversight on admissions and hiring over his claims that it is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology.

“Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Programme certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution, referring to the main system by which foreign students are permitted to study in the US.

Harvard, which has sued the government over the raft of other punitive measures against it, quickly fired back, calling the move “unlawful.”

“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars,” it said in a statement.

“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”

‘Everyone’s panicking’

In April, Mr Trump

threatened to stop Harvard from enroling foreign students

if it did not agree to government demands that would put the private institution under outside political supervision.

“As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enrol foreign students,” Ms Noem wrote.

“All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme regulations, to maintain this privilege,” she said.

“As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege.”

More than 27 per cent of Harvard’s enrolment was made up of foreign students in the 2024-25 academic year, according to university data.

Fourth-year US student Alice Goyer told AFP “no one knows” what the development would mean for international students already enroled.

“We just got the news, so I’ve been getting texts from a lot of international friends, and I think everyone’s just – no one knows,” she said.

“Everyone’s panicking a bit.”

On whether students would willingly transfer to other institutions, as suggested by Ms Noem in the letter, Ms Goyer said: “I doubt people would do that.”

“I would hope maybe there’s going to be a legal battle that’ll take place,” she added.

A federal judge on May 22 ordered a nationwide halt to any terminations of international students’ legal status, although it was not immediately clear how the ruling would impact those enrolled at Harvard.

Judge Jeffrey White said US officials have “wreaked havoc” on people’s lives, and the injunction would provide “stability” for them to continue their studies.

It follows aggressive moves by the Trump administration against universities where student activists have protested Israel over the war in Gaza.

The administration has revoked “thousands” of visas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 20, under an obscure law that allows removals for activities deemed counter to US foreign policy interests.

Columbia is another top US university targeted by the Trump administration, which has cut US$400 million in federal aid to the institution.

Its New York campus was the site of demonstrations calling for an end to violence in Gaza for the past 18 months, and has seen student protesters arrested by federal authorities.

During an interview with Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum, Ms Noem was asked if she was considering similar moves at other universities, including Columbia University.

She responded: “Absolutely, we are...This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together.” AFP, REUTERS