Trump’s Feud with Harvard Escalates

On Thursday, President Donald Trump intensified his ongoing conflict with Harvard University, announcing that he would close the visa program for international students. This move has raised eyebrows, to say the least.

Homeland Security Secretary Christa Noem recently sent a letter to Harvard’s president, Alan Gerber, stating that the university’s accreditation for the Student and Exchange Visitors Program has been revoked.

In her letter, Noem emphasized the importance of this decision, saying, “The outcome must be followed to send a clear signal to all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of registering foreign students; the Trump administration will enforce the law.”

Noem had asked Harvard to produce evidence of “illegal and violent activities” involving international students, warning them that failure to comply could result in losing federal privileges. She set a deadline of April 30th for their response.

Fast forward to a month later, and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that “Harvard University will no longer be able to register foreign students; existing foreign students will need to transfer or they will lose their legal status.” That certainly adds pressure.

Harvard’s spokesperson, Jason Newton, expressed the university’s stance, describing the decision as “illegal” and reaffirming their commitment to accepting international students. He mentioned that “this retaliation action threatens serious harm to Harvard’s community and undermines Harvard’s academic research mission.”

Noem specifically linked Harvard’s non-compliance to this punitive measure, indicating it was a direct consequence of the university not adhering to reporting requirements. She remarked, “This behavior should not surprise you, and is the unfortunate outcome of Harvard’s failure to follow simple reporting requirements.”

Noem also added that they need to comply within 72 hours if they wish to regain their accreditation for the international student program for the next academic year.

Harvard currently hosts around 7,000 international students within its student body. The ramifications of this decision could be significant, both for the university and those students.