Trump administration revokes Harvard's ability to enrol international students
Harvard calls move unlawful, pledges support for foreign students
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students on Thursday, and is forcing existing students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, while also threatening to expand the crackdown to other schools.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate the Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification effective for the 2025-26 school year, the department said in a statement.
Harvard said the move, which affects thousands of students, was illegal and amounted to retaliation.
Student Leo Gerdén hails from Sweden and studies economics and government at Harvard. He said Thursday's news was "heartbreaking" for him and his fellow international students.
"We are being used as poker chips right now in a battle between the White House and Harvard," Gerdén, who is in his final year of studies at the university, told CBC News.
"There is a lot of uncertainty right now about what is going to happen and people are definitely worried," he said. "It's been a dream for so many to come to this institution and come to this country and study, and now, all of that might be taken away from us."
- Are you a Canadian attending Harvard University? How will the Trump administration's move to bar foreign students affect you and your studies? We'd like to hear from you. Send an email to ask@cbc.ca
Alex Usher, the president of Toronto-based Higher Education Strategy Associates, says the U.S. government's actions could have a chilling effect on the aspirations of students from abroad who dream of studying at Harvard.
"It's sending messages to potential students abroad that we don't want you, that you will be treated as a pawn in... domestic political games and you shouldn't bother applying," Usher said.
Many prominent Canadians have studied at Harvard, including past prime ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King, Pierre Trudeau and current Prime Minister Mark Carney. Author Margaret Atwood, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore, former governor general David Johnston and former federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff are also Harvard alumni. Chrystia Freeland, the federal minister for transport and internal trade, is a Harvard grad as well.
The clampdown on foreign students marks a significant escalation of the Trump administration's campaign against the elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Mass., which has emerged as one of Trump's most prominent institutional targets.
Hundreds
of demonstrators gather on Cambridge Common during a rally at the
historic park in Cambridge on April 12, calling on Harvard to resist
what organizers described as attempts by Trump to influence the
institution. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe/The Associated Press)
Harvard 'fully committed' to educating foreign students
The move comes after Harvard refused to provide information that Noem had previously demanded about some foreign student visa holders who attend the university, the department said.
Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in the 2024-25 school year, amounting to 27 per cent of its total enrolment, according to university statistics.
In 2022, Chinese nationals made up the biggest population of foreign students with 1,016, university figures show. After that were students from Canada, India, South Korea, the U.K., Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan.
"It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multi-billion dollar endowments," Noem said in a statement.
In a letter to the university, Noem gave Harvard "the opportunity" to regain its certification by turning over within 72 hours a raft of records about foreign students, including any video or audio of their protest activity in the past five years.
Harvard called the government's action unlawful, and said it was "fully committed" to educating foreign students.
"This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission," the university said in a statement.
Congressional Democrats denounced the revocation, with U.S. Rep. Jaime Raskin calling it an "intolerable attack on Harvard's independence and academic freedom" and saying it was government retaliation for Harvard's previous resistance to Trump.
U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, shown at a Senate committee
hearing on Tuesday, said in a statement: 'It is a privilege, not a
right, for universities to enrol foreign students.' (Manuel Balce Ceneta/The Associated Press)
Nick Akerman, a former federal prosecutor who worked on the Watergate case, said the administration's move is "totally unprecedented" and will likely be stopped by the courts.
"I don't think there's any way that any court is going to stand for this," Akerman, who went to Harvard Law School, told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Trump has already frozen several billion dollars in federal grants to Harvard in recent weeks, leading the university to sue to restore the funding.
In a separate lawsuit related to Trump efforts to terminate the legal status of hundreds of foreign students across the U.S., a federal judge ruled on Thursday that the administration could not end their status without following proper regulatory procedures. It was not immediately clear how that ruling would affect the action against Harvard.
'A warning to every other university'
Noem said she was "absolutely" considering similar moves against other universities, including Columbia University in New York.
"This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together," she said on the Fox News program The Story with Martha MacCallum.
Trump, a Republican, took office in January pledging a wide-ranging immigration crackdown. His administration has tried to revoke student visas and green cards of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia University in New York City on April 18, 2024. (Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)
He 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.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it was terminating $60 million US in federal grants to Harvard because it failed to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination on campus.
In a legal complaint filed earlier this month, Harvard said it was committed to combating antisemitism and had taken steps to ensure its campus is safe and welcoming to Jewish and Israeli students.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy group, said the action against Harvard's student visa program "needlessly punishes thousands of innocent students."
"None of them have done anything wrong. They're just collateral damage to Trump," he said on the social media site Bluesky.
Foreign undergraduates at U.S. colleges typically pay full tuition, an important source of revenue for colleges and universities.
International students at Harvard also contributed to the local economy, data from NAFSA, the Association of International Educators suggests. They were estimated to have spent $384 million US a year in the 2023-24 school year, supporting some 3,900 jobs through their payments for housing, dining, retail and other services and goods.
With files from the CBC's Deana Sumanac-Johnson
Trump Admin strips Harvard’s ability to enroll international students
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AAAABAAABLKADAAQAAAABAAAAQQAAAABRVsCEAAAU60lEQVR4Ae1dDZAcxXXu2TthmRBYEsKPQdLIUqjYiaOVi0CRYG7lSgwGxyxgLKAo3wJJ4RiEDheQAHHdKhXLAVKlE2CUSgrdyCkLUBGzwgnCOIn2%2BKk4MYVW%2FikcR6CVwAacH062sUHS3eT7lp3z0Nc92z23e3N79Kt6193f%2B%2BnXb2bezszOznmiDS1%2FqLFSTHgXQG0V%2BOTQEyd5QhzZxixbcSh%2BGArxiifC%2BoTwqntXL%2FlqtgG52V0GXAY6kQHUHjUt3fbi6X1i4i4hvDPUGr2DhmH4qpcTf77nu0s2i4o32TuRu0hdBlwG4hmYVrCW%2F8NLp4iJw7eHwrsMwmnyuHHP9cNw94TIXb939eInei52F7DLgMvA2wvS0q2vntDX%2F8YjyMvp8zY3YfjjSU9c%2FsIn%2FX%2Bat2t0C3MZmKcZyE2ta2fYn%2Bt741GM52%2Bx4mI972hPeNua9%2BamFu86LgMuA72QgamCtexH%2B%2B%2FxPPHBXgh6pjHiOvfIcFJUl297%2Bddm6svZuwy4DMxeBpoF670P7T8Nxeqa2Zs2%2B5lwlrU4DA%2FemX0kLgKXAZcB0ww0C1ZucvIeU4P5pIciPeg%2F9GLPfws6n7aJW4vLQFIGcv62lwrz4dGFpEUmyfomJq9MkjuZy4DLwNzJQK5fTJw7d8KZ%2FUhwP%2BsPZ39WN6PLgMtAmgz0w2hVO8MTnviSeHB4jTj5uGPaqVrLr6i9Ks44fqFY8%2F7O%2By5%2FfpN4%2BtTzk2PyxHuWP7B%2F2Z5LFz%2BfrOikLgMuA1lnIBeKcEm7IF781jPid888S4zueLKd6pyQ%2F%2BB%2FDogP%2FMHF4l833WEWT5%2B3yEzRabkMuAxkmQHedD%2FRJIDw5z8Vw3%2F8KXHZLYZFwMRpF3RYVFlcDzz3rLF3%2FHTHN1Z2ii4DLgOZZSCHezgLbWZ%2F%2Bu83Nc9envn%2BfhuzWdFlMWVRZXG1ojA82krfKbsMuAxkkoHmYw22M%2FPs5eLzzxd3bv1HW9Ou6H%2FvldfE%2B37%2FYsFi6shlwGVg%2FmYgVcFiOngWc%2FfNa8T5196WaXbu%2BeoT4pwPnS1e%2F575JWCmAbvJXQZcBlJnIHXBimb89vat4tQzPyKyuES86ObbxR1%2FMmh%2FCRgF71qXAZeBnsrAjAsWV%2FvGi%2F%2FVvET803u3zsrio0vAZ7b%2BzazM5yZxGXAZmBsZ4HNYHSFeIt6%2F%2Fjax7etPir7SGuEdeZSx33%2F%2F7zfFXd89YKQ%2FuacuDm3GZajtjXUj7x1RqsHLgIGnOnRWGujJKnsB%2BDKoGeM7lVmnCmYcNpz1WOiNG%2BpGagE6g9GgTZtm%2FRX4VMW%2FDjhlJlSE0k6Foo0PhbmDjM6wcsvMj6uJbz4mDn1xrZj8wZ6OZ%2Ffw14Kmb%2BNitfCXOh5DBx3iJ1HCt%2FSXxsZyillVL6WYja%2FrzoJYxJh%2FRxlmwKhg9Q1cIrz3LDMOM%2FzhHnHor68Wh8ceMrZJUgx%2F9lNxEEVw4rHRJLVpsr6zL5mGzTFgyDKesqX%2BXFe3LVhcfz7DRdntgBkGOl%2BnNipYvLxbcO1dVkWLCZuo3i0O3nebYMFJS7wEPPiXq0WI1ob6zv6E6P%2FolTYmWejani3Y6mexJps5uR6bAmRb4GxiMdEtQKliouh0upMBo4LFqVm0jrhps2AhsKHwO081Cw4Ljy1ZXwJyAlwGLrjq86L%2FwjW202Wh72NSHgQmVISSb6LYYzplw3jz0JsLBZuXhkXDmJ1ahzNgXLCieVkIWBBYGIwJN8h5X4sFyITSXgJ6y1aIIz63TeQ%2BcJbJNHNFp2wYiKmeobs5ozZoGEnJUG821HhpyALqaJYzYF2wGB8LAs%2B2bO5r0Y73oHgvKvy%2FVzhUUupLwI%2BUxRHX4bLV4ttJZQCzD5oesHPh7KIb2eEZpm%2FgeC4VLMZbMYi5Eyo%2BnAzE%2BB1dKFM%2F1uD9yonNonX44bvFxBPmN9d5L%2BogbsgvuOyWaWdCvEnP%2B15WxEvAq9eL3HLu93Oa%2BNzGMYoIuQPyYKwqZBFEOfVUpPOr0q0ADFUCYBvB4xoZ4QpYZbsbeFLsEDcpKU6ub6Slp2p8gLqCneRX5atT2Fo44rprnXLY8pNHy7WWwUWwihoAOTe3GfsylQGoPgjHgV8oK8fGZfRVdg3gSTeEhyBXbR%2FGxzhlKgMYABfBPlimGgDyFnADPEWpC1bkgZeIueUrxaGt6%2FEE6esRnNzyEhHPUi24duNUoTm8Y1RMPB4k20nS3G%2F%2Bnui%2F%2FNZeOauqIPwN0hKiYQkd1YaNy6N%2BvN2NwTiYG9%2BUKhrFpcDLGlkF%2BLBGtlKDy%2FAQgFEZbI158I9oZIRLCbIAMtpnQVwP189t0AniOukz38aZD%2FlQiwO0N4DjMdQx1uXah6wBVhHzWFAJgK0DNzSyQeAquysl%2FQrGnCMv4fKwCIBcAQfgqfWluiSEg7dR2kvEw1u%2F0PTDe1YTT5qfpdGID6cu%2BKP1vVKsGHKVfzR0gQYnzI2rkwdUsKAKdHdr9LnTFRUy7ojDCpwQd%2BK6RibDDQC6uX3IOI%2BOGJuKtgAcVwlmCfMxT6VDcwXw8zA4b%2BmvDP2dkh23yT6wiooqEBjnLWhkhIsamQ9cZcdt3QBHFKDD%2FYjz2FAZyrvAzTk6UrA4e3SJaPMtYvjaK4L3rCbxTaLxw6DHniAW3Hif6B%2Bw%2B7aSMWZMDcyvO2C5EctgFZUA6jZyVWXQBisnyEchk%2BcKNPpcS0Uj08GBTgC8rJH5wAsaWZr1a1ylhtfCspja%2Bi3DChpdUTZxzfxw28WpFh%2FE%2BqVYP97V4ZGOTl6MFKS2GhtX0J%2FJ%2BnzYs5iLjhUsOiPZfovIJ%2BLD%2F335LeM2f3kJeMSNm0Xu5OVtNOeseCQhMt0OocPH4KuR4E8nqkPAMyMV%2BQArMQH7K2LjqHsAHV1ckY6qrarAFnaBRlbW4IwhyZ%2FGLDXM%2BXSkKvQ6XRkvABiWwdaYZ0lXgle1%2BAa0uji4PcrgiHS5GYgUpLYojeWhrV00fx6OWNRVtAXgheBofWw3glVr9IGXOl6w4NTuW8Sf%2FYQmyYQb6z14CahaU7QRVTIesNy4ceJYdyAHcUXLfgX6uzU23LkKLdYdSBXIG2BbasBgTGPkAy8qZIMKjFBSLjUmM4JHYK3LmQ%2FZaErvQxo75onbIQDXWswYfPA%2BsIrihaEKBdWBnwdeVBjr9rNI1caO8dVbhgW0tJVpHYAyuAquxXgI%2FSJYRYWuFCzONHWJiMcNZkJ8dGIBHlfowUtA1bLHAW5XCVpYSZLJ47i4Gh%2Bk6JcTbDZApjsAxyAbSbBtJwoSFMqSrICxL2HRMIg6s9iWE%2BbitiLbUB7KuoJchmxc4YxYRYETKoB9dlpUizpSW1SMGUs7KkkKnE9lV43pFWP9eLcRH0j9Osbcz2RudK1gRQHw5zF9KYuWd%2ByJbz2y0LuXgFEa4m18Y8Zx9ksSEP%2FEjItY9MbjQIo%2Bd4p1Grsi8IJCxk%2FssgK3gaoJyvKnvG6uffBRS%2FDTLRFztjHBOYt8PkEui0oy0BrvRtvQyAgn5dCP2en05Dzr4oi5anYHJEBnV4vp1WP9eJcfiizWfhyM9Yvoyxx0vWA1n9N6PMDc9sSb8ofwW8RuvPnBPpqOWQTwxANfRdyR%2FJaAbaHVl5uqDKQcV2DHg8OUhqDYMFXW6I0D366R5YGXYjL5wIpE1aiTQVvBnLqcMf4Ri5h8je5e4CwOOl6hsSNciMl0eaJOPqany3NMpdmlnR8DVXbct%2BPzNmL68S7nD8Bc6y7ww%2BBhMNfsg5XUtYLFp9kP3nm11UOlqgg7%2FeYH1RwZYPENKk9fagFRK8u5QwQyOINx2dCWRSYw1G2nZrp%2BX%2BMo0OCzAY9jknLCRIOQ6badbFaUgdaY9rU23FKd1uRjCGMdi43j3WJr4KMly8T9TEXFFsh5CgqFqoTVMdbFEKnSTwlcAdfALGLkUXARPEVdKVgT%2F%2FFY82l2Fpu2dOQvt1WhQife%2FGA00ewoyRs1Pit3eFLUvjX6xd8k219omffqUF3XRp07b7mNjo2Ya9AdEPzUzoNLGof7gDPmLInzJ%2BVsbZbBSXNXpXE0jPIbtREeteWoI7WRftRKYuWl%2BhCUdNtbto%2FGPjpl8M4W59GKfv7pFDUfAMVPa%2FgSP1PiIwpJvy2M%2B%2BGbH%2Fierf7L8bOe5YW4qNf6VQTMA2%2BJInAurATWLZC2nSbdXNE8x6Djg%2BsRMMN2HPZch6oo54GXwCxcKgpUYAZYBXMyzhVdmJv7RiOlX9mOed6g8DXQwooK2Rgw2rHIcNvHKcmOerSTqQ7ABwdg3XaFSEtFSHaCV3WsYPE%2BE59cNzqriuLC4wosPM33ZfHtDwY%2F7Wne18IPqPvOvVL0n1OOPPViyw27VhP4qAbnDqTaITTqRnAJWiY7EWNaaeTRTInrGNSobgCe18gCDZ4FXMaku7owcQCflQ75bcDPbvAKyZ%2BPcQGs2vbcNiTVNuJ2KYJVdtuBj4NVRLwE9lttES35GLAJFaA01JFLQv5omWc%2BVsUKs%2FNHyyS%2BYaH%2FwuubfdM%2FU29%2BmMHLAU3n6pJekOA3r5FVNXha2IehrjjKPrnDVGRwBmOuhQVYRbr188BrqAwywuqYd90M5qa9iooqUMLKGA8r2AcmU00GWmPdto%2F0o1Y23wBAtY10%2BnH7BgYj4BKYPpaCV4GZxy1g3T4BkRic0RkWz4wO3Y%2BzKv60xob4hgX8aDl%2BWdd3%2BrlND4fhz5Sab37A20hVb34w9ZGhXh1z7wMvsYiBG7qTFMAZdxpT4gFSBTP2ThB9DVo4Cix0Z0u1golK4BUpJmxobEz2iTJsBxT2Y8AaEh5gvFbCOCwoMO6T0fbl9hlV6KjsqEZ9W2rAgFwDR1RC5%2BFoEGv91GdY%2FA1g86zKslh5y%2FCSPbxLS%2FWSPRYtvsHB%2BuWAePMDH5%2FoQRqxiDm%2BI1mYaVWHIFHt8JxnJVj3SafagbWTtBHYrJ%2Buqm38ZSUuYWJdvpJi0q3Hh1E5wTAPma5A1hV2xLhdTagWUxpHf3dsnNSlXkOhEAKTuazQi0NVDMbiQNRPVbCiVxfzfpIN8QHS5kv28C4tHfGsi28NZWGzIb6Ti49RmN7At%2FHdRV1uGFOy0W3n04fCsEapDLwOroBVVABYUQlSYJzH9EDaDt1Gijlmw4RxVVJMRDvlgQl8A5i5VtEIwLxCwKIxrsAJ1TS4DFclIJDGuqFsp9MjPpgkbMl8lY5VweIlYJr%2FXiP4hgWcOZn%2BU4jm%2B%2BPxcxzbJ%2BR5D40vB%2BRjFT1CDcRp%2BgkWdHBN9KXa4TcCr4FJI2BdbCx2RXAnyHRHN9XrRExpfDBfuuKT5G9II8wD3wVm4eIBPgBeC97bGqOZRoxBR1WdQMJrbcaSeGqo86%2FKSRFWO8Fclw%2BOyEeHa6RsCVimMeOClfbVxVNvWMCZky2xwKW5ROR9sOhdW7ZzZqCftJNF4bBw1KPBDNsh2A8ofBwAVpHwsjSOD0cxyMeBlP3A0K5qqJelWhmTM482xO16Q4IBt1cAroFHwD5YRdxHApWghTF%2F7WJjcRmXfNQx3idh8pBy6qloRAUCK4ID8F5w2GL2qV8EqygwKli8zOI%2FkTB%2BZ1Vrqk68YSH1JSKeBeuR%2B1pV1ZaRsEAapx0WYDisMS4DH5dkdYzXSVg09NGpRIMZtJyj3QGxHTpybDOYsmumDXiupPA%2BAhtdnk3csViVDBRrbXSqGrkOj9ST5JRtiRRn0I7B1qxgHd6x2Wqe5hsWOviSvbSXiLyv1XzGyyr6WVcex4w8IJMoaYdIspNlAYC8DGLMnUE3RwWyfWAV8fS9qBJYYiNt9HWxtTHLRMy1MJ%2B2VIHBKrAu1zp%2F3HeK4Aa4HbXLY03jQIdH6u3kZShujJRTtLQt0a7fxNjm5nrutHOaz1R147%2FX8BIx9%2Bt4f%2Fx9txo9ZMq18b6Wl%2BJy1CQvHdThjnSBxt9u4A2NzAauQHmFwuAAsLICj0OU74wDsf4o%2BivB4zHMtsv1b9AYMb5AI%2BsG3IBTVcEhbko8uLgmmRoyII1rGPtg2pOL4CVgmbhP0H8AboBNiTZljfI48LpGRjtVTiJ1ytvREBRGwBVwEaxaF%2BApYuGmX9o0wE3ylm9rvIFHN98VAar24D3Xi%2FB55khPHp6tuvSzt4rbP3O5XkkhuaL2qjjj%2BIVizfuPUUjV0HMvvyYuuuJq8fp%2F7lIrxND4P7qIwW%2FrhqFY%2B%2FzqJXe9DXQDlwGXgW5mwIdzsooaAMnTyOgMa5qVBCxctFx8ect94ndOXSxJujN830nHiuf%2B5SuidNMXxLP3%2F213JnFeXQZcBrqZgQack60oZ6WtUP6tj18mvv9vX5%2B1YhUPoXrnLeLme7eIHB6bcOQy4DIw%2FzOQumDxEvC6O%2B4Wj967PtMsXffxs8WOx3eIX%2F3g2ZnG4SZ3GXAZ6H4GUhWso39jpXjo0UfFzZd%2FrPsRGszAS8Rdj2wRq665yUDbqbgMuAz0agZyIb5vswn%2BzCuuEd%2F5569kcgnYLs4tn%2FuMuPOBqvUlYpgTqQp3u3ic3GXAZaCzGch5odmNL14CVv7uS%2BLBv%2FqzzkbQYW%2Brz1ohntr5mDjhrPOMPXuTXsNY2Sm6DLgMZJaBXOi1P1gX%2FfZp4ulvPCWu%2BuiHMgvUZuJTjsuLbz7wRXHujX8hxLuPamvqhZP72yo5BZcBl4HMM%2BC998H9n8Zp1qbMI8kqgDD88Z7xJceJa7xDWYXg5nUZcBkwy0BucnJBz7zawGxJdlo4w9zhipVdzpy2y0BWGcg1LjupEYYhH4F%2FR5IXevxpiSOXAZeBHshA89uxyb6%2B4R6ItQshhmN7Vi%2F%2BWhccO5cuAy4DXchAs2Dt%2FcSib%2BH3dD35juEZ5WSyf25%2F5TmjxTljl4H5l4FmweKynj9%2B8WdRtJ6df0ucviKsc3LSC6%2FYc%2Bkp35gudYjLgMvAXM3AVMESq7zDkxMLzxNhOK8PYjwo%2B3NsjKteuMT%2F8lzdKC4ulwGXAXUGPBW87MF9mzxPfFol62UMxWpPKHIXvfDJRd%2Fu5XW42F0G3qkZUBYsJmPpthdP7xMTeEeUd0bvJyf8CdaxXhy1eMOe87w3e389bgUuA%2B%2FMDGgLVpSOpQ%2B8tKKvb6IkJsWHhRcuCoV3IozeHcnnYhuK8Ef4ydHLiHU3%2Bo%2B8%2FubCx1791Imvz8VYXUwuAy4D5hn4f%2F4I%2FJm%2FTD8jAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC'%2F%3E%20%3C%2Fdefs%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
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Quick Hit:
In a sweeping move against what it deems non-compliance with federal oversight, the Trump administration has stripped Harvard University of its certification to enroll international students.
Key Details:
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, barring enrollment of new international students and revoking status for current ones.
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem cited Harvard’s “failure to comply with simple reporting requirements” tied to an investigation into campus antisemitism and visa data.
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About 6,800 international students, or 27% of the student body, could be affected by the decision, which Harvard has vowed to challenge legally.
Diving Deeper:
The Trump administration's decision to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll international students marks a dramatic escalation in its ongoing conflict with elite universities. Citing the university’s refusal to comply with a wide-ranging records request, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem notified the school that its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program was immediately revoked.
The administration’s decision emerged from an investigation launched in April, which demanded information on international students amid claims that Harvard had fostered a hostile environment for Jewish students. Noem's request, which Harvard argued exceeded legal bounds, included coursework and disciplinary data on all student visa holders. The administration claims the university’s resistance to fully complying prompted the revocation.
In a statement, DHS asserted that Harvard “can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.” This action has sent shockwaves through the academic community, with Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton calling it “unlawful” and “retaliatory.” The university signaled that it would mount a legal challenge and continue supporting affected students.
The ramifications are severe. International students contribute significantly to Harvard’s revenue, with tuition and fees reaching up to $87,000 annually. Moreover, international talent has long been considered a cornerstone of American higher education and innovation — an area where elite institutions like Harvard have led the charge.
Legal experts and immigration analysts have noted the unprecedented nature of the administration’s move. Andrea Flores, a former DHS official under the Obama administration, remarked that DHS has “never tried to reshape the student body of a university by revoking access to its vetting systems.” She called the targeting of a single institution politically motivated and dangerous.
The confrontation comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to bring academia in line with its policies. Harvard is already suing the administration over attempts to alter its admissions and hiring practices, and this latest measure signals the administration is willing to leverage immigration enforcement to assert pressure.
While the administration argues its demands are within legal bounds and necessary for national security and cultural accountability, critics argue it is a politically driven attempt to punish dissenting institutions. The controversy is poised to enter the courts again as Harvard prepares to challenge the latest decision.
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Judge issues temporary block on White House plan to bar foreign student enrolment at Harvard
China suggests such a move will harm credibility of U.S. and students will look elsewhere
Harvard sues Trump administration over ban on foreign enrolment A U.S. judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enrol foreign students, a move that ratcheted up White House efforts to conform practices in academia to President Donald Trump's policies.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic president Barack Obama, issued the temporary restraining order freezing the policy.
The Trump administration can appeal the ruling.
The move on Thursday was a response to Harvard's refusal to provide information it sought about foreign student visa holders and could be reversed if the university relents, the Trump administration has said.
- Are you a Canadian attending Harvard University? How will the Trump administration's move to bar foreign students affect you and your studies? We'd like to hear from you. Send an email to ask@cbc.ca
In a complaint filed in Boston federal court earlier on Friday, Harvard called the revocation a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and said it had an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.
"With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission," Harvard said.
"It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government's demands to control Harvard's governance, curriculum, and the 'ideology' of its faculty and students," the 389-year-old university located in Cambridge, Mass., added.
Trump has already frozen several billion dollars in federal grants to Harvard in recent weeks, leading the university to sue to restore the funding. The administration has accused the school of not doing enough to curb antisemitism following pro-Palestinian protests that have emerged in the past two years.
Whereas some other institutions, including fellow Ivy League school Columbia University, have reached settlements after the Trump administration made similar threats, Harvard has resisted through legal objections.
In an editorial published early Friday and entitled "Harvard's international students are people — not pawns," the school's Crimson newspaper wrote: "We have to wonder: How does sending Jewish students from abroad home — including Israelis — root out antisemitism? … What could be more anti-American than banishing potential immigrants who have come to our country to learn and contribute to our society?"
Princess
Elisabeth is shown at Buckingham Palace in London on May 5, 2023, with
her father, King Philippe. The Belgian princess just completed her first
year in a Harvard master's program. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)
Many world leaders and their children have attended the Ivy League school, including from Canada.
Belgium's Royal Palace said Friday it would follow the developments, as its Princess Elisabeth has just reached the midpoint of Harvard's two-year Public Policy master's degree program.
Hong Kong school looks to capitalize
The most recent order from the Trump administration also accused the university of co-ordinating with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Chinese nationals made up one-fifth of Harvard's foreign student intake in 2024, the university says, and some students were rushing to seek legal advice in the wake of Thursday's bombshell from the White House.
"I think the Chinese community definitely feels like a more targeted entity compared to other groups," Zhang, a 24-year-old studying for the PhD in physics, told Reuters.
"Some friends gave me advice that I should try not to stay in my current accommodation if things escalate, because they think it's possible that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent can take you from your apartment," said Zhang, who did not give his first name for security reasons.
China's
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning is shown speaking during a
regular briefing held in Beijing on Friday. The ministry slammed the
Trump administration's action, saying it will undermine the U.S. (Liu Zheng/The Associated Press)
The U.S. action "will only damage the image and international credibility of the United States," China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday, while vowing to "firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests" of its students overseas.
The number of Chinese international students in the United States has dropped to about 277,000 in 2024 from a high of around 370,000 in 2019, driven partly by growing tension between the world's two biggest economies over trade, the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.
During the first Trump administration, the Justice Department went to bat for Asian students, arguing that they were being discriminated against as a result of Harvard's admission policies. The Supreme Court largely agreed that was the case.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the U.S. would remain a top destination for foreign students, and said it might become necessary for international students to consider other options "when policy uncertainty becomes the norm."
On Friday, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology sought to capitalize, saying it would provide "unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures, and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition" for affected students.
Harvard students seek advice
Back at Harvard, the most anxious among the Chinese students at the university are those with summer jobs as research assistants tied to their visa status, crucial for future PhD applications, said Zhang Kaiqi. The master's student in public health had been prepared to fly back to China, but changed his mind, with students being advised not to leave the country and wait for official announcements from the school, according to information students were sharing in WhatsApp groups.
As tension has ramped up in recent years between China and the United States, Chinese families have increasingly sent their children to study at universities in other English-speaking countries, such as Australia and Singapore.
Demonstrators
rally on Cambridge Common in a protest on April 12 calling on Harvard
leadership to resist interference at the university by the federal
government in Cambridge, Mass. The Trump administration's latest salvo
directed at the school was quickly met with a lawsuit. (Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters)
Pippa Ebel, an independent education consultant in the southern city of Guangzhou, said while the order did not entirely shut the door to U.S. higher education, it was "likely to be a final nudge towards other destinations."
"It's not going to be a complete turnaround, but a hardening of Chinese parents' existing concerns," said Ebel, who authored a report on Chinese students for British education think-tank HEPI.
Corrections
- An earlier version incorrectly stated that Cambridge University had reached a settlement with the Trump administration. In fact, the Ivy League school that had done so was Columbia University.May 23, 2025 1:57 PM ADT
With files from CBC News
Judge blocks Trump Admin from rescinding foreign students' legal status
0156Quick Hit:
A federal judge in California has temporarily halted the Trump administration's attempt to strip legal status from thousands of foreign students. The ruling stems from concerns over due process violations and lasting visa complications following arrests tied to pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Key Details:
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U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White issued a nationwide injunction preventing the Trump administration from rescinding foreign students' legal status.
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The case was filed after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revoked visas in April, targeting students linked to pro-Palestinian protests.
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The ruling protects students from arrest, imprisonment, or deportation unless they have been convicted of a violent crime with a sentence of one year or more.
Diving Deeper:
In a striking rebuke of a core Trump administration immigration effort, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ordered a halt to the enforcement of visa rescindments for thousands of foreign students. The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by attorneys representing nearly two dozen international students whose legal status was abruptly terminated by ICE in April.
The case centers on actions taken during President Donald Trump’s broader push to tighten immigration and crack down on visa abuse. In April, the Department of Homeland Security canceled the visas of students identified as participants in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, even when no formal charges were filed or cases had been dropped. The administration cited authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to justify the cancellations.
Judge White, however, concluded that even though some visas may have been reinstated, the administrative damage had already been done. According to his ruling, the lingering record of rescindment “wreaked havoc” on the students’ ability to apply for new visas or change their status. The injunction will remain in effect until the case is fully resolved, blocking the federal government from detaining or deporting the students named in the case.
From: Donald Trump Jr. <donjr@email.donjr.com>
Date: Fri, May 23, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Subject: Supreme Court backs Trump’s power to remove federal appointees
To: Friend <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com>
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