Homeland Security Secy threatens US universities after Harvard's foreign student ban: 'Get your act together because we are coming'

Time of India

23-05-2025

Homeland Security
Secretary
Kristi Noem
on Thursday issued a stark warning to universities across the country to 'get your act together,' following her decision to revoke
Harvard University
's ability to enroll
international students
. Speaking on Fox News, Noem said, 'This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together because we are coming to make sure that these programs ... are facilitating an environment where students can learn, where they're safe and that they're not discriminated against based on their race or their religion.'
Noem accused Harvard of creating a campus atmosphere that promotes violence, antisemitism, and collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party. 'Anti-Semitism will not be stood for, and any participation with a country or an entity or a terrorist group that hates America and perpetuates this kind of violence—we will stop it and we will not allow that to happen, especially in places where our kids need to grow up and really learn what this country is about, what the world is about, and what it means to promote freedom and liberty,' she added.
The Department of Homeland Security's move to strip Harvard of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification impacts nearly 6,800 international students, who must now transfer to other SEVP-approved institutions or risk losing their legal status in the US starting from the 2025–26 academic year. Harvard has called the action unlawful and disruptive to its academic mission.
This action is part of a wider campaign by the
Trump administration
to pressure elite universities into meeting federal demands tied to funding and tax exemptions. Harvard's refusal to curb pro-Palestinian protests and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies led to $2.6 billion in frozen research funding and threats to its tax-exempt status.
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Other universities like Columbia have complied with federal demands to restore funding, while several others, including Cornell, Northwestern, Brown, and Princeton, face potential cuts. Faculty members at some institutions have urged administrations to form a joint defense pact against what they see as government overreach.
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Legal experts warn this signals a new federal blueprint demanding universities' loyalty to administration policies.
As Harvard prepares to challenge the government's moves in court, Noem's warning signals heightened federal scrutiny over campus policies and international student programs nationwide.