Harvard University can no longer enroll foreign students, Trump administration says

Harvard University can no longer enroll foreign students, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday, escalating the Trump administration’s efforts to exert influence over the Ivy League school.

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said existing foreign students at Harvard must transfer or lose their legal status in the United States.

About one in four Harvard students are international, according to school data. 

Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem said Harvard is “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.” She said the action against Harvard will “serve as a warning” to other universities.

Last month, Noem demanded detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities.”   

“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem said in a statement. “Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Harvard has become “a hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”

“They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions,” Jackson said in a statement.

Harvard says the administration’s move is 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. We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community,” a Harvard spokesperson said in a statement. “This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”  

The move to block Harvard from enrolling foreign students comes as the Trump administration cuts billions of dollars in federal grants to the school. President Trump also said this month that his administration will be taking away the university’s tax-exempt status.