Trump admin starts 30-day countdown on Harvard foreign students

Yahoo

29-05-2025

The Trump administration began a 30-day countdown for Harvard to respond on Thursday as it filed a formal notice with federal courts to withdraw the prestigious institution from the federal program allowing the school to accept foreign students.
The court filing included a letter sent to Harvard Director of Immigration Services Maureen Martin on Wednesday.
'This notice advises your school of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program's (SEVP) intent to withdraw you school's SEVP certification for failing to comply with the federal regulations detailed below,' the letter begins.
The issues named in the letter are:
that Harvard failed to comply with reporting requirements
that Harvard failed to maintain a campus environment 'free from violence and antisemitism'
that there were national security concerns related to Harvard's practices with foreign entities
Harvard now has 30 days to provide evidence that it followed the law with respect to the above issues, according to the letter.
The filing comes as Harvard and the Trump administration are set to appear in federal court in Boston on Thursday.
It also took place the same day as Harvard's commencement ceremony.
Read more: Shadow of Trump administration hangs over Harvard University commencement
About 27% of Harvard's undergraduate and graduate students are international, according to 2024 to 2025 data.
This filing follows letters both earlier this month and in April escalating the Trump administration's position on whether foreign students can be allowed at Harvard.
In a statement accompanying last week's letter on the social media platform X, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote that the administration was holding Harvard accountable 'for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.'
Harvard responded immediately with a 72-page lawsuit against the Trump administration, leading to a federal judge blocking the administration from revoking the certification.
'For those international students and scholars affected by yesterday's action, know that you are vital members of our community,' Harvard President Alan Garber said at the time. 'You are our classmates and friends, our colleagues and mentors, our partners in the work of this great institution. Thanks to you, we know more and understand more, and our country and our world are more enlightened and more resilient. We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world.'
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program, also known as SEVP, allows higher education institutions to issue visa application forms to prospective international students after admitting them. The forms are used to apply for a visa to enter the United States.
The certification requirements include that the school is operational and instructing students, has the necessary facilities and adequate finances to operate, provides instruction to a degree or objective and meets state requirements to operate, according to the Department of Homeland Security website.
Read more: Trump is threatening to block international students from Harvard. Is that legal?
Institutions are recertified every two years, but can be evaluated at other points in time if they have information suggesting that it isn't complying with regulations.
If the certification is taken away, an institution isn't allowed to enroll international students. Current students would have to choose between transferring to another institution, leaving the U.S., or changing their immigration status, according to the ICE website.
An example of the certification being stripped occurred at Herguan University in California in 2016 after its CEO pleaded guilty to providing fraudulent documents to the Department of Homeland Security, according to East Bay Times.
Harvard has been in a battle with the federal government since April. There has been a wave of federal research grant terminations at Harvard University, in addition to a $60 million in multi-year grants,$450 million cut and a $2.2 billion freeze.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has also told the institution that the federal government would be barring Harvard University from acquiring new federal grants while the university continues to refuse to comply with the administration's demands for change on its campus.
Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon that they share the same 'common ground,' but the university 'will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear.'
Garber pushed back on the administration through a lawsuit in April. The institution argues that its constitutional rights had been violated by the government's threats to pull billions of dollars in funding if the school didn't comply with demands for an overhaul.Following the $450 million announced cuts, the university amended its lawsuit.
'No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,' the suit reads.
Due to the federal cuts, Harvard announced that it was committing $250 million of 'central funding' to support research impacted by suspended and canceled federal grants.
MassLive reporter Juliet Schulman-Hall contributed to this article.
Harvard commencement speaker says it's fitting to 'hear from an immigrant like me'
Many foreign students already fleeing Harvard University due to Trump order
Protesters pack outside Harvard commencement as families focus on their graduates
Shadow of Trump administration hangs over Harvard University commencement
Trump proposes a 15% cap on foreign students at Harvard
Read the original article on MassLive.