The Department of Homeland Security is threatening to revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students and has canceled grants totaling more than $2.7 million. The latest action from the Trump administration against Harvard comes on the heels of a $2.2 billion federal funding freeze because the university rejected a list of demands. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is now demanding detailed records on Harvard's foreign student visa holders' "illegal and violent" activities, or the university will lose its' Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification. In a letter to the university, Noem demanded the records by April 30. The DHS said, "if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students."
The Department of Homeland Security is threatening to revoke Harvard University's "privilege" to host international students unless the school hands over disciplinary records and protest information about international students. Harvard received a letter Wednesday from DHS that was signed by agency Secretary Kristi Noem who accused the school of creating a “hostile learning environment” for Jewish students, according to The Harvard Crimson newspaper. “It is a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University, not a guarantee,” the letter signed by Noem reads. Universities can only host international students if they are certified under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
The Trump administration threatened on Wednesday to withdraw Harvard University from the federal program that administers student visas if it does not comply with a records request by the end of the month. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that the Ivy League school provide DHS with information related to potential “illegal” and “violent” activities Harvard foreign exchange students have engaged in as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on antisemitism in higher education, in a letter to a school official obtained by The Post. “It is a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University, not a guarantee,” Noem wrote in the missive to the university’s director of immigration services. “The United States Government understands that Harvard University relies heavily on foreign student funding from over 10,000 foreign students to build and maintain their substantial endowment,” the DHS chief added. “At the same time, your institution has created a hostile learning environment for Jewish students due to Harvard’s failure to condemn antisemitism.”
