Homeland Security blocks Harvard's ability to enroll international students

23/5/2025 6:18

U.S. President Donald Trump's

administration has revoked Harvard University's ability to

enroll international students, and will force existing students

to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, the

Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday.



Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the

department to terminate the Harvard University’s Student and

Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, the department

said in a statement.



Harvard called the action illegal.



The move comes after Harvard refused to provide information

Noem had previously demanded about some foreign student visa

holders who attend the university, the department said.



"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for

fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the

Chinese Communist Party on its campus," Noem said. "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."



Harvard said the move a retaliatory action that threatens

serious harm to the university.



"The government’s action 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, the university

said in as statement. "



The White House did not immediately respond to requests for

comment.



The move marks a significant escalation of the Trump

administration’s campaign against the elite Ivy League

university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has emerged as one

of Trump's most prominent institutional targets.



The Republican president has undertaken an extraordinary

effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the U.S.

that he says foster anti-American, Marxist and "radical left"

ideologies. He has criticized Harvard in particular for hiring

prominent Democrats to teaching or leadership positions.