Trump administration orders extra vetting of all Harvard-bound visa applicants

Hindustan Times

a day ago

The US State Department directed all consular missions worldwide to start additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Friday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the immediate start of "additional vetting of any non-immigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose," the cable said.
The directive, which was issued on May 30, encompasses a broad spectrum of individuals, including prospective and current students, faculty, staff, contractors, guest speakers, and visitors, all seeking to enter the United States for any purpose.
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Harvard University failed to maintain "a campus environment free from violence and anti-Semitism", the cable said.
The objective of the directive is to help consular officers identify visa applicants "with histories of anti-Semitic harassment and violence."
The order also directs consular officers to consider questioning the credibility of the applicant if the individual's social media accounts are private and instructs them to ask the applicant to set their accounts to public.
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"If you are not personally and completely satisfied that the applicant, during his time in the United States, will engage in activities consistent with his nonimmigrant visa status, you should refuse the visa...," the cable said.
This recent move marks a significant expansion of President Donald Trump's crackdown against the academic institution and signals a broader strategy by the Trump administration to exert pressure on Harvard University.
The university has been subjected to various punitive measures, including the freezing of federal grants, threats to revoke its tax-exempt status, and investigations into alleged employment discrimination practices.
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The Trump administration has launched a multifront attack on the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, freezing billions of dollars in grants and other funding, proposing to end its tax-exempt status and opening an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants.
In a dramatic escalation, his administration last week revoked Harvard's ability to enrol foreign students, a move later blocked by a federal judge.
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In cases where applicants' social media accounts are private, officers are advised to request that they be made public to facilitate thorough evaluation.
Meanwhile, Harvard argues the Trump administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students.
(with Reuters inputs)