WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has halted Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.
“I am writing to inform you that, effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification is revoked,” Noem said in a letter shared on X.
She said the Trump administration is holding Harvard accountable for “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”
“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused.
“They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law,” she wrote on X.
Harvard spokesman Jason Newton described the government’s action as “unlawful.”
“We are 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,” Newton said in a statement.
Stressing that the university is working “quickly” to guide the campus community, he added, “This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
The US Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it is terminating US$60 million in federal grants to Harvard.
The Trump administration has already frozen over US$2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, as well as US$60 million in contracts.
Harvard has filed a lawsuit against the administration, alleging that the funding freeze violates the First Amendment and federal law, which bars the president from directly or indirectly ordering the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to conduct or end an audit or investigation.
Harvard President Alan Garber announced last week that the university will use US$250 million of its own funds to support research.
The Trump administration has also threatened to freeze federal funding for other universities, citing campus protests in support of Palestine and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes. – May 23, 2025