Secretary of state Marco Rubio has launched an investigation into Harvard’s ability to sponsor exchange visitors, including visiting professors and researchers, some students, and those taking part in educational and cultural exchanges.
In a July 23 statement, Rubio said it was a “privilege” to be a sponsor of exchange visitors, who must comply with regulations and conduct programs “in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interested of the United States”.
“The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests,” read the statement, giving no explanation of why the probe had been opened or what exactly it was looking for.
The State Department is the latest government agency to weigh in on the administration’s long-running attack on Harvard.
In June, a federal judge blocked President Trump’s bid to prevent international students from entering Harvard and extended an order preventing efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to strip the institution of its ability to enrol students from overseas.
In a statement sent to The PIE News, a university spokesperson called the move “yet another retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights”.
“Harvard continues to enrol and sponsor international scholars, researchers, and students, and will protect its international community and support them as they apply for US visas and travel to campus this fall.
“The university is committed to continuing to comply with the applicable Exchange Visitor Program regulations,” the spokesperson said.
This investigation is yet another retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights
Harvard University
Elsewhere, Harvard is suing the Trump administration for cutting more than $2 billion in federal funding to America’s oldest and richest institution. The government is also going after the records of Harvard’s international students, accusing the university of failing to quell antisemitism on campus.
The row with Harvard has been one of the focal points of Trump’s sweeping attacks on higher education, which has seen investigations launched and billions of dollars withheld from universities in an effort to force institutions to abide by a sweeping list of demands.
In an unprecedented deal, Columbia University announced on July 24 it would pay the administration more than $220m rather than face funding cuts which could have totalled over $1.2bn, according to university estimates.
