On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an order suspending international visas for prospective Harvard University students, citing the university’s alleged failure to disclose “known illegal activity” committed by its students.
Trump said in a proclamation that the suspension only affects new nonimmigrant students who come to the US primarily or exclusively to attend the university in Massachusetts.
Under the Student Exchange Visa Program, foreign students are permitted entry into the nation to attend American universities.
Additionally, Trump empowered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to decide whether to cancel the visas of current Harvard students who are in the nation.
Trump said Harvard has failed in its disciplinary efforts, citing a rise in campus violence that was also covered by The Harvard Crimson in 2023.
According to him, the school reported three instances of wrongdoing by international students and gave “deficient” information about those episodes.
The statement is the most recent in a series of attempts by the Trump administration to prevent the Ivy League university from accepting international students.
He has criticized the anti-Israel demonstrations by students in response to the Gaza War. According to a university representative, the institution intends to challenge the directive from the administration.
“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” according to the spokesperson.
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U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs stopped the Trump administration’s attempt to bar overseas students from enrolling at Harvard in May. Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security at the time, revoked the school’s SEVP certification.
“The administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem stated.
