Just now, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University's eligibility to enroll international students, intensifying the standoff between the government and Harvard and threatening thousands of currently enrolled students.
Source: NYTimes
Harvard University currently has over 6,800 international students, comprising about 27% of the total student body, with thousands more set to graduate in just one week.
This decision means that Harvard University will be unable to enroll any international students holding F-1 or J-1 non-immigrant visas for the 2025-26 academic year; furthermore, current international students must transfer to another school or risk losing their legal status.
On April 16, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanded that Harvard provide information on international students' on-campus activities (including participation in protests), threatening to revoke its SEVP certification if Harvard failed to comply.
Today's order revoking Harvard's ability to enroll international students is yet another major move by the Trump administration to pressure Harvard into complying with the president's agenda.
Harvard's Confrontation with the Trump Administration: A Recap
Previously, the U.S. government had threatened to freeze federal funding to force Harvard and other top universities to "reform."
Harvard refused to stay silent, announcing in an open letter to all faculty, staff, and students: Harvard rejects these demands.
After Harvard's refusal, the Trump administration moved to freeze roughly $2.26 billion in funding to the university and demanded an apology. Trump even threatened to tax Harvard as a "political entity."
Source: Truth Social
Harvard fought back, taking the federal government to court just one week later, accusing the White House of taking arbitrary and unconstitutional action to "punish Harvard for defending its constitutional rights."
Source: The Crimson
Subsequently, the Trump administration announced an additional freeze of $450 million in grants to Harvard, which promptly responded by expanding the scope of its lawsuit against the federal government, further escalating the conflict.
Today's action to bar Harvard from enrolling international students has pushed the confrontation to an even higher level.
Noem has ordered Harvard to submit extensive documents to DHS within 72 hours in order to have a chance to regain SEVP certification before the upcoming academic year.
These documents include paper records, audio, and video of all international student protests at Harvard's various schools over the past five years. DHS also demands complete disciplinary records for international students from the past five years.
Source: Yahoo
It remains unclear whether the Trump administration would definitely restore Harvard's SEVP certification if it submits the requested documents.
The Battle to Protect American Universities Continues
According to sources, this latest move may trigger a second legal challenge from Harvard University.
A Harvard spokesperson called the Trump administration's actions "unlawful":
"We are fully committed to preserving Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars. They come from more than 140 countries and make enormous contributions to Harvard and the entire nation," said Jason Newton, Harvard's director of media relations. "We are moving quickly to provide guidance and support to members of the Harvard community. This retaliatory action could bring serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and it undermines Harvard's academic and research mission."
Source: NYTimes
For international students, this isn't the first time this year they've been targeted by the Trump administration. Since March, many F-1 students have received sudden notices that their SEVIS status has been terminated, stripping them of the right to legally study in the U.S.
Source: AP
Such a blanket and arbitrary approach has sparked strong discontent among international students, who are not sitting idly by but are increasingly turning to the courts to defend their rights.
After intense scrutiny from numerous courts across the country, the Trump administration withdrew its decision to cancel international student visas. Now, the administration is using international students as leverage against universities, a move that many international students find outrageous and disheartening.
Source: NYTimes
Given the previous absurdity of SEVIS statuses being terminated and then restored, international students currently at Harvard or about to enroll are advised to wait patiently for official university notifications, contact the school as soon as any issues arise, and CheersYou（清柚教育） will also provide real-time updates.
American universities have always stood on the side of their students and provide the greatest possible protection for international students. We believe that Harvard University will ultimately do its utmost to help international students fight for their rights and bring about the most appropriate resolution.
At the same time, in what amounts to a punitive "culture war," we trust that Harvard will not be the last university to stand up. More voices will join the fight to defend academic freedom in the days to come.
