For an initial six months, the new order would suspend the entry of students into the US who are seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard.
“Crime rates at Harvard University – including violent crime rates – have drastically risen in recent years. Harvard has failed to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus,” Donald Trump wrote in the order, published by the White House on Wednesday.
“Given these facts, it is imperative, in my judgment, that the federal government be able to assess and, if necessary, address misconduct and crimes committed by foreign students at Harvard,”
This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights. Harvard will continue to protect its international students
Harvard University
The statement went on to allege that Harvard had refused requests from the Department of Homeland Security related to illegal activities involving its international student cohort.
The President also accused the university of infringing on the rights of other students and staff, and engaging in discriminatory practices against “disfavored races” in its admissions.
“Considering these facts, I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University,” read the order.
“Until such time as the university shares the information that the federal government requires to safeguard national security and the American public, it is in the national interest to deny foreign nationals access to Harvard under the auspices of educational exchange.”
Despite the order, Harvard has doubled down on its support for international students.
“The university is aware of President Trump’s June 4 proclamation. This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights. Harvard will continue to protect its international students,” read a statement by the institute.
The proclamation order is the latest escalation in the ongoing tussle between the Trump administration and one of the world’s wealthiest universities.
Just last month, US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem announced the revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, citing the university’s “failure to adhere to the law,” an “unsafe campus environment for Jewish students,” alleged “pro-Hamas sympathies,” and the use of what she described as racist DEI policies.
Although district judge Allison Burroughs issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration’s international enrolment ban while the case proceeds through the courts, the administration has continued to take steps making it more difficult for Harvard to sustain its international student enrolments.
While the Trump administration is aiming to sever the rest of its federal contracts with Harvard – worth around $100 million, a directive from US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, suggests that there will be enhanced social media screening of international students planning to study at the Ivy League institution.
Trump’s June 4 proclamation also drew condemnation from the Chinese government.
The President accused Harvard of receiving funding worth $150 million from China over the past decade, “repeatedly hosting and training members of a Chinese Communist Party paramilitary organisation”, and collaborating with China-based individuals on research that could contribute to the country’s military modernisation.
“China-US educational cooperation is mutually beneficial. China has always opposed the politicisation of educational cooperation,” stated Lin Jian, a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a news conference on Thursday.
According to a report by The Guardian, the reference to the training sessions may pertain to a “China Leaders in Development” program that Harvard ran in the early 2000s in partnership with Tsinghua University in Beijing, aimed at training Chinese government officials.
Trump’s move to single out China comes as the US government prepares to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students – particularly those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in strategically sensitive fields, as previously reported by The PIE News.
