Trump blocks foreign students at Harvard: new escalation in clash with the university

University accuses Republican administration of political attack: international student programme suspended, legal challenge risked

President Donald Trump’s administration has decided to suspend Harvard’s participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, effectively preventing new foreign students from enrolling and forcing existing ones to move elsewhere to avoid losing their visas. The announcement was made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who accused the university of creating ‘an unsafe campus’ and tolerating the presence of ‘anti-American agitators’, the majority of whom are foreigners.

Heavy accusations and an ultimatum: ‘Complicity with the Chinese Communist Party’
According to Noem, Harvard ‘fuels violence and anti-Semitism in coordination with the Chinese Communist Party’. In the official statement, the secretary imposed a 72-hour ultimatum: the university will only be able to return to accept international students if it turns over all audio and video recordings documenting illegal or threatening activities by foreign students over the past five years.

Harvard: ‘Illegal and unprecedented attack on academic independence’
Jason Newton, a spokesman for the university, called the decision ‘illegal’ and a direct attack on academic independence: ‘We are committed to defending our ability to welcome students and academics from over 140 countries. Their contributions are invaluable to Harvard and to the nation as a whole’.

Legal battle over frozen funds already underway
The clash between the Republican administration and the university had already erupted last month, when Harvard sued the government over the freezing of 2 billion in federal funding. The measure had been decided after the university refused to change curricula, admission policies and criteria for hiring teachers, as requested by the task force set up by Trump against anti-Semitism.

A move with devastating effects for the university
The measure threatens to have a major economic and reputational impact. Out of 24,596 students enrolled at Harvard, as many as 6,800 come from abroad. The withdrawal of authorisation for the SEVP programme threatens to deprive the university of an essential part of its academic community and its revenue.

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