Trump orders Harvard University to ban international students and requires current international students to transfer within a time limit.
According to the introduction on Harvard University's website, this university located in northeastern United States is one of the world's top universities, having cultivated 162 Nobel laureates. This year, the school welcomed about 6,700 "international students," accounting for 27% of the total student population.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, stated in a letter that foreign students already enrolled must "transfer" to another university or risk losing their visas.
The Department of Homeland Security issued an ultimatum: If Harvard University wishes to regain this "privilege," it must provide all information regarding suspected "illegal" activities by foreign students over the past five years within 72 hours.
A Harvard University spokesperson immediately responded to Agence France-Presse, stating: "This decision by the government is illegal." The university added: "We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to welcome international students and scholars from more than 140 countries, who make significant contributions to Harvard and the entire nation."
On April 22, the wealthiest university in the world, Harvard University, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in response to its threat to cut billions of dollars in research funding for the university. The reduction in funding was part of the government's campaign against top-tier American universities.
This lawsuit marks a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between higher education institutions and President Trump. Trump has vowed to "take back" control of elite universities. The government justified its actions as a fight against anti-Semitism, but it also targeted projects and teaching content related to racial diversity and gender issues.
Trump's order banning Harvard University from admitting international students and requiring current students to transfer within a time limit has had multiple impacts on the university. As a world-leading institution, approximately 27% of Harvard's students are international. The ban significantly reduces the scale of its student body, diminishes academic exchanges and research due to the lack of diverse perspectives, and damages its reputation due to external doubts about restrictions on its academic autonomy. Additionally, the decrease in economic benefits brought by international students, combined with previous threats to cut research funding, exacerbates the university's financial pressure.
From a broader perspective, the loss of international students weakens America's global appeal in higher education, undermines its position as an international education hub, and affects the economy of related service industries such as accommodation and dining. In the long term, restricting access to top universities for international students will cause the U.S. to miss out on numerous outstanding talents, hinder technological and cultural innovation, damage the country's soft power in global competition, and raise questions from the international community about America's academic freedom and policy stability.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832866004800583/
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