On Thursday, the Trump administration announced the revocation of Harvard University's ability to enroll international students, escalating tensions between the government and the prestigious Ivy League institution. The Department of Homeland Security stated that this decision could force thousands of current international students to transfer to other schools or leave the United States, jeopardizing their legal status.
The government accused Harvard of creating an unsafe campus environment by allowing perceived anti-American and pro-terrorist activists to harass Jewish students. Furthermore, it alleged that Harvard has collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party by training members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024. With this revocation, Harvard, which enrolls nearly 6,800 international students—making up over a quarter of its student body—can no longer sponsor foreign students for their visas and attendance.
Harvard responded by deeming the government's action unlawful and stated that it is striving to provide clarity and support to its affected students. The university emphasized that the retaliation from the Trump administration poses significant harm to both its community and its academic mission.
The conflict between Harvard and the Trump administration has heightened since the university openly resisted the White House's critiques of elite educational institutions, which it has branded as centers of liberalism and antisemitism. To pressure Harvard, the federal government has withheld $2.6 billion in federal grants, compelling the university to self-fund much of its extensive research activities. President Trump has also suggested revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status.
A major point of contention arose from a request made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on April 16, which demanded detailed records of international students who could be implicated in violence or protests that would warrant deportation. In her letter to Harvard, Noem indicated that failure to comply with federal reporting requirements resulted in the university's loss of certification to host international students for the 2025-26 school year.
Noem stated that Harvard could regain its ability to enroll foreign students if it provides comprehensive records concerning students' participation in any protests or violent activities within 72 hours. She specified that the administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering a climate of violence and antisemitism on its campus while also claiming that Harvard coordinates with the Chinese government.
The action revokes Harvard's certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which is essential for sponsoring international students' visas. Harvard’s leadership, including President Alan Garber, has defended the institution’s governance changes aimed at combating antisemitism but expressed concern over the administration's allegations regarding international students posing risks. Garber asserted that he lacks evidence that the university's international students are more likely to cause disruptions than their domestic peers.
Student groups, such as the Harvard College Democrats, condemned the administration’s actions as detrimental and as tactics to advance a radical political agenda. The letter characterizes the Trump administration's stance as authoritarian and urges the university to resist such pressures.
This move has garnered criticism from free speech advocates, who argue that it constitutes an attempt to create a surveillance state on college campuses. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression denounced the administration’s approach and referred to it as an overreach aimed at curtailing protected expressions.
Recent developments also highlight concerns regarding antisemitic harassment in the context of widespread pro-Palestinian protests nationwide, which the federal government argues Harvard has not adequately addressed. Homeland Security cited a recent internal report indicating that a significant number of Jewish students have reported experiencing discrimination on campus.
Moreover, the administration has raised alarms regarding ties between American universities and the Chinese government, citing Harvard's purported training of members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In relation to these allegations, a Harvard spokesperson indicated that the university plans to respond to inquiries from House Republicans regarding its relationships with Chinese entities.
Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, criticized the administration's actions, labeling them as illegal and small-minded, cautioning that they would likely deter international students from seeking education in the United States. The Trump administration's strategies for monitoring international students’ legal status come as a part of a broader initiative to exert influence over higher education, transforming what was previously an administrative process into a mechanism for enforcement through the revocation of students' legal status.
