WASHINGTON DC (Kashmir English): The Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students, citing the university’s refusal to meet federal policy demands.
The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University’s authorisation to enrol international students, in a move many see as politically motivated and damaging to academic freedom.
The Harvard international student ban was announced by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which said the university’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification had been terminated.
“Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the US Department of Homeland Security stated, following Harvard’s refusal to hand over conduct records of international students requested last month.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted the university’s refusal to turn over the conduct records of foreign students requested by the DHS last month. The White House echoed this stance, calling the enrolment of foreign students “a privilege, not a right” and criticised Harvard for becoming a “hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”
The Harvard international student ban affects nearly 27 per cent of the university’s student population, which is 6,793 international students, and has thrown many into uncertainty. Students and staff have reacted with shock and concern, saying the decision threatens Harvard’s global academic standing.
Austrian student Karl Molden, a rising junior, expressed deep worry. “Many of us have worked our entire lives to get to a university like Harvard,” he said. “Now we need to wait around and see if we might have to transfer out and face difficulties with visas.”
The administration has also frozen $2.2 billion in federal funds to Harvard and is reportedly planning to revoke its tax-exempt status. Noem, in her letter to the university, accused it of promoting “pro-Hamas sympathies” and using “racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.”
Harvard has condemned the move as “unlawful” and pledged support to affected students. The university swiftly condemned the SEVP revocation as “unlawful,” saying in a statement it is “fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University, and this nation, immeasurably.”
Harvard economics professor and former Obama administration official, Jason Furman, called the Harvard international student ban “horrendous on every level,” warning it could empty labs and harm American innovation. Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, said the move was “distressing” for Australian students and offered consular support.
Many of the Harvard professors called the decision “expands the Trump administration’s terrorizing assault on international students and scholars in the United States.”
