【By Guancha Observer Network Liu Chenghui】
"Without international students, Harvard can no longer attract outstanding talents from all over the world. Harvard would no longer be Harvard," a graduating Harvard University student said.
On May 22nd local time, the conflict between the Trump administration and Harvard University escalated sharply.
The U.S. government announced the revocation of Harvard University's "Student and Exchange Visitor Program" (SEVP) certification, prohibiting the university from enrolling international students. The notice warned that existing international students must transfer schools or lose their legal status, even threatening to extend this action to other universities.
The U.S. government also unreasonably hyped up Harvard University's "cooperation with China" and issued an "ultimatum" to the school: if Harvard wants to restore its "privilege" to enroll international students, it must provide a series of information about suspected "illegal" activities by its foreign students in the past five years within 72 hours.
Harvard University fiercely criticized the Trump administration's move as "illegal", warning that such "retaliatory actions" could harm the school's academic research mission and cause serious damage to the country. American scholars called this move "unprecedented", and a former U.S. government official described the measure as "extremely bad on all levels".
The Department of Homeland Security published a statement on its website, revoking Harvard University's SEVP certification.
The "Student and Exchange Visitor Program" is managed by an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, and American schools that enroll foreign students and exchange scholars must obtain relevant qualifications.
According to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem has ordered the termination of Harvard University's "Student and Exchange Visitor Program" certification, which will take effect starting from the 2025-2026 academic year.
Noem accused Harvard University of "fueling violence, anti-Semitism, and cooperation with China."
The statement said, "The Harvard University administration allowed agitators who are anti-American and support terrorism to harass and physically attack individuals, including many Jewish students, damaging Harvard's once respected academic environment and creating an unsafe campus atmosphere."
The statement also said, "Universities enrolling foreign students and profiting from their high tuition fees to enrich their multi-billion-dollar endowment funds is a privilege, not a right."
Noem also gave Harvard University the "opportunity to restore its certification eligibility," requiring the school to submit a series of materials including audio and video records of protests by foreign students in the past five years, disciplinary documents, etc., within 72 hours.
The statement did not forget to threaten, "This should serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the nation."
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to CNN, "Harvard has turned what was once a great institution into a breeding ground for anti-American, anti-Semitic, and pro-terrorism agitators. They have repeatedly failed to take action to address widespread issues severely affecting American students, and now they must face the consequences of their actions."
On the same day that the "ban order" was issued, Noem also appeared on Fox News. When the host asked whether similar actions would be taken against other universities, Noem gave an affirmative response.
She said, "Of course. We absolutely will do so. This should serve as a warning to all other universities, making you tidy up your own behavior."
Harvard University quickly issued a statement in response: "The government's actions are illegal. Such retaliatory actions may cause serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermine Harvard's academic and research missions."
Harvard stated that its international students and scholars come from more than 140 countries and regions, bringing incalculable contributions to the school and the entire country. The university is fully committed to maintaining its ability to enroll international students and scholars, and is working to assist affected students.
According to Harvard University statistics, in the 2024-2025 academic year, the university enrolled nearly 6,800 international students, accounting for 27% of the total enrollment.
In 2022, Chinese students were the largest international student group at the university, with 1,016 students. They were followed by students from Canada, India, South Korea, the UK, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and Japan.
April 15, 2025, Cambridge, Massachusetts, people walk through Harvard Yard on the Harvard University campus. Visual China
Alice Goyer, a senior American student at Harvard University, told AFP that the news had spread, but "no one knows" what it means for international students currently enrolled. She added, "Students are somewhat panicked," and hope Harvard University sues the Trump administration over the frozen federal funding.
"This is unprecedented," Andrea Flores, who served as a DHS official during the Obama administration and is now the vice president of immigration policy at FWD.us, told The New York Times. "The Department of Homeland Security has never attempted to reshape its student body by revoking access to university review systems, and it certifies hundreds of schools annually; targeting just one institution is rare."
Leo Gedon, a senior student from Sweden and a staunch supporter of international students on campus, expressed shock at the news.
"Without international students, we can no longer attract outstanding talents from all over the world, and Harvard would no longer be Harvard," Gedon said, who is set to graduate next week.
"The Trump administration is now using us as pawns," he added, "this is extremely dangerous."
Jason Furman, an economics professor at Harvard University and a former official in the Obama administration, said that the Trump administration's move is "extremely bad on all levels."
Furman said, "It's unimaginable what Harvard would be like without excellent international students. They bring immense benefits to everyone here, to innovation, and to the whole of America. Higher education is one of America's key exports and a crucial source of soft power. I hope this policy will be stopped before it causes more severe damage."
Another professor familiar with the matter told CNN that if this policy takes effect, he fears "many laboratories will be empty."
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior researcher at the immigration advocacy organization "Immigration Council," said that the action against Harvard University's student visa program "unnecessarily punishes thousands of innocent students."
He wrote on social media, "None of them have done anything wrong; they are merely collateral damage from Trump's actions."
Reuters reported that Harvard has become the central focus of the Trump administration's conflict with elite American universities.
After returning to the White House, Trump launched a nationwide campaign against universities, accusing American universities of becoming strongholds of leftist ideology. The U.S. government then initiated reviews of more than 60 universities, including Harvard University, and suspended federal grants to some schools.
In March this year, the U.S. government required Harvard University to make reforms, including immediately closing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and combating anti-Semitism. On April 11th, the U.S. government further pressured Harvard University, demanding the weakening of the power of certain colleges and administrators, and revising the standards for hiring staff and admitting students.
After Harvard refused the Trump administration's demands to reform its management structure, recruitment, and admission policies, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in long-term grants and $60 million in long-term contract payments to the university.
Regarding international students, the U.S. government required Harvard University to reform its admission system by August this year, preventing international students hostile to American values and government agencies from entering the university, including those supporting terrorism and anti-Semitism. Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Last month, Noem wrote to Harvard University, requiring the university to submit records of "illegal and violent actions" by its international students by April 30th, or risk losing the qualification to enroll international students immediately.
It is worth noting that in another lawsuit related to Trump's attempt to terminate the legal status of hundreds of foreign students in the U.S., a federal judge in California issued a nationwide order prohibiting the Trump administration from revoking the legal status of foreign students.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland ruled on the 22nd that the government cannot cancel the legal status of international students without conducting individual reviews and following the standards listed in federal regulations.
It remains unclear how the ruling by the California judge will affect the measures against Harvard University.
This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507442161424597539/
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