In a significant escalation of tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard University, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that Harvard will lose its ability to admit international students.
“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” stated the DHS in an official release.
This move follows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s directive to revoke Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Noem justified the decision by accusing Harvard of refusing to provide student conduct records requested by DHS last month.
In a letter sent to Harvard, Noem further alleged that the university fosters “an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.”
The DHS warning extended beyond Harvard, with the statement reading, “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
Harvard has become a focal point in the administration’s broader campaign targeting elite universities. Officials aim to influence campus policies, programming, hiring, and admissions by threatening to withhold federal benefits. The administration claims these actions are intended to combat antisemitism linked to protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict and to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies they label as “illegal and immoral discrimination.”
Responding swiftly, Harvard condemned the revocation as “unlawful” and reaffirmed its dedication to supporting its international community. The university hosts scholars and students from over 140 countries, who it says greatly enrich the campus and the nation.
Jason Newton, Harvard’s spokesperson, stated, “We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
The decision could impact a large segment of Harvard’s student body, which includes 9,970 international members. Data shows that international students make up 27.2% of the university’s enrollment for the 2024-25 academic year, totaling 6,793 students.
Some faculty members have expressed concern that losing international students could weaken Harvard’s academic strength and negatively affect American higher education as a whole.
The White House defended the administration’s action, stating, “enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson accused Harvard of turning the institution into “a hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” adding, “They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions.”
Harvard economics professor and former Obama official Jason Furman called the policy “horrendous on every level.”
“It is impossible to imagine Harvard without our amazing international students. They are a huge benefit to everyone here, to innovation and the United States more broadly,” Furman said. “Higher education is one of America’s great exports and a key source of our soft power. I hope this is stopped quickly before the damage gets any worse.”
Another professor, who wished to remain anonymous, told CNN that if the policy is enforced, “many labs will empty out.”
