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The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, escalating a political and legal showdown between the federal government and one of America's most prestigious academic institutions. The move, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), also threatens the legal status of thousands of current foreign students enrolled at the university.
The decision, which strips Harvard of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, comes amid mounting pressure from the administration for universities to comply with a host of controversial demands, including eliminating diversity initiatives, cracking down on pro-Palestine protests, and cooperating more closely with immigration enforcement.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accused the university of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party," stating that Harvard "has created an unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators." The revocation prohibits Harvard from issuing I-20 forms required for F-1 and M-1 student visas, effectively barring international students from enrolling.
Harvard President Alan Garber condemned the move as "unlawful and retaliatory," vowing to fight it in court. "No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue," he said in a statement.
Currently, international students comprise about 27% of Harvard's student body, with over 6,700 enrolled in the 2024–2025 academic year. If the SEVP certification is not restored, those students must transfer to other SEVP-certified institutions or risk losing their legal immigration status.
The federal order has drawn sharp criticism from immigration lawyers and civil rights groups. "ICE continues to prioritize politics over the rule of law, apparently ignoring binding regulations and terrorizing foreign national students," said immigration attorney Bradley Bruce Banias.
A federal judge in California, Jeffrey White, issued a separate injunction Thursday blocking the administration from terminating the legal status of international students nationwide. While this ruling protects some students, legal experts warn it may not prevent the forced transfer of Harvard students unless directly tied to the university's SEVP revocation.
The move against Harvard follows similar action taken earlier this year against Columbia University, which was threatened with the loss of $400 million in federal funding over its response to campus protests related to the war in Gaza. The administration has also threatened to withhold $9 billion in federal funding from Harvard unless it complied with ideological demands, including a controversial "viewpoint diversity" audit.
Harvard has filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of abusing federal power to impose partisan policy preferences on academic institutions. "Threats like these are an existential gun to the head for a university," the complaint argues.
