On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security blocked Harvard from enrolling international students, terminating its certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. This move represents an action taken by the Trump administration against Harvard in the current battle between the two over on-campus protests.
The move was foreshadowed by an April 16 letter from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“The United States Government understands that Harvard University relies heavily on foreign student funding from over 10,000 foreign students to build and maintain their substantial endowment,” Noem wrote. “At the same time, your institution has created a hostile learning environment for Jewish students due to Harvard’s failure to condemn antisemitism.”
According to Harvard University’s own data, a quarter of their student body is currently international.
Harvard responded to the DHS’s decision Friday by suing the Trump administration in federal court. The lawsuit stated that international students are crucial for Harvard’s identity:
With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.
In addition to the Trump administration’s complaints of alleged antisemitism at Harvard, the leading conservative activist Chris Rufo has raised concerns that Harvard is discriminating against white men despite the Supreme Court ruling in SFFA v. Harvard, which prohibited the use of affirmative action in university admissions.
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