Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced Thursday that the federal government revoked Harvard University’s international student program, saying that the Trump administration “is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”
Harvard called the administration’s actions unlawful, according to The Associated Press.
“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” a statement from the university said.
Noem’s order follows Harvard’s failure to comply with a request she made on April 16, demanding Harvard turn over information about foreign students that could potentially implicate them in violence or protests.
Harvard is the academic home of 6,800 foreign students, most of them in graduate school. Critics of the ban contend that it will deal an “irreversible hit” to the attractiveness of higher education in the United States to foreign scholars.
Whether Harvard will comply without taking the federal government to court remains to be seen.
The Trump administration’s rocky history with Harvard
The Trump administration officially accused Harvard of allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Israeli students on campus.
Harvard saw a number of pro-Palestinian protests on its campus this and last spring. It later established a task force to target campus antisemitism and anti-Palestinian behavior. That task force ultimately produced hundreds of pages documenting instances of harassment.
In response, Harvard realigned the goals of its Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, clarified its rules around protests and restricted its own ability to comment on political matters, while also establishing “constructive dialogue” programs.
The Trump administration also alleged that Harvard had coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party to host and train members of a Chinese paramilitary group. Prominent Republicans from the House of Representatives issued a press release on Monday, saying they had mailed Harvard a letter demanding “transparency and accountability” from Harvard regarding its relationships with foreign adversaries.
“Harvard trained members of a sanctioned Chinese paramilitary group responsible for genocide, and its researchers partnered with Chinese military universities on DoD-funded research and worked with researchers funded by the Iranian regime,” said Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., who co-authored the letter. “These are not isolated incidents — they represent a disturbing pattern that puts U.S. national security at risk.”
President Donald Trump has described American Ivy League universities as corrupt for years. He has pushed schools like Cornell, Columbia and Harvard to investigate and stamp out antisemitism on campus.
While Harvard pushed back and took the federal government to court, its president, Alan Garber, has conceded that some of Trump’s claims are correct and has said that he wishes to curb antisemitism, foster more “intellectual diversity,” welcome additional conservative voices and curtail the use of race in admissions decisions.