Trump admin threatens to ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students
WASHINGTON
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that Harvard University could lose its authorization to enroll international students unless it complies with the Trump administration’s request for information on certain visa holders.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that she had sent a letter to Harvard, demanding documentation related to what she described as the “illegal and violent activities” of some foreign students, with a deadline of April 30.
“If Harvard cannot prove that it is fully complying with its reporting obligations, it will no longer be allowed to enroll international students,” Noem said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Harvard confirmed receipt of Noem’s letter, which also referenced grant terminations and increased scrutiny of student visas. The spokesperson reiterated the university’s earlier stance, emphasizing that Harvard will uphold the law but will not compromise its independence or constitutional rights.
This marks the latest escalation in tensions between the government and the university as President Donald Trump is furious at the storied institution, which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners, for rejecting his request to submit to oversight on admissions, hiring and political slant.
He ordered the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard this week. DHS also canceled $2.7 million worth of research grants to Harvard. Trump also said that Harvard "should lose its Tax Exempt Status" as a nonprofit educational institution if it does not back down.
"Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
"Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World's Great Universities or Colleges," he said.
International students made up 27.2 percent of Harvard's enrollment this academic year, according to its website.
Other institutions, including Columbia University, have bowed to less far-ranging demands from the Trump administration, which claims that the educational elite is too left-wing.
