Harvard graduates slam Trump's international student crackdown

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Harvard University graduates have slammed President Donald Trump 's crackdown on international students, although some admitted there is racial bias and antisemitism on campus. The alumni spoke with Newsmax about the controversies which have engulfed the prestigious college in recent months and placed it at war with the president. Trump has threatened to clampdown on international students amid accusations the institution fostered racial bias through DEI policies and allowed antisemitism to go unchecked.
A Jewish student who graduated Thursday was among those who criticized the college's response to protests following the Hamas attack of October 7. 'My personal feeling was that the administration is trying to do things to get us more, feel more comfortable and be more safe in our place,' he told Newsmax.
'Having said that, there were many events that were held during the year that were always concentrating on one side of this hard discussion, and it wasn't the Israeli side'. Other students who reportedly expressed similar views told the outlet they were too afraid of a 'backlash ' to appear on camera, but told Newsmax's Sarah Williamson that there is racial bias and discrimination against Jewish students at Harvard.
Other students were less reticent when it came to expressing their outrage over Trump's proposals to block international students from obtaining visas to study at the college. The president was hit with a temporary blow Thursday after a federal judge blocked the State Department from enacting the policy.
'You don't control Harvard. It's not a dictatorship,' one student fumed. 'This is education at its highest form. So this needs to be accessible to everyone.' 'I fully believe that we need to protect our diversity and make sure that international students are welcome and supported here at Harvard,' another added. A third said a ban on international students, 'would be a disservice to education' and 'a disservice to what Harvard offers to the world.'
Trump said this week that the school should cut its population of foreign students — a fifth of whom are Chinese — from nearly 30 percent to 15 percent. He also accused university leaders of fostering a breeding ground for antisemitism, making Jewish students feel uncomfortable and unsafe. The State Department has now instructed US consulates and embassies to begin reviewing foreign student visa applicant's social media for antisemitic content, Politico reports.
A large encampment of pro-Palestine students protesting the Israel-Hamas war formed on Harvard Yard during the 2024 spring semester and lasted for three weeks. The students wanted the university to divest from the Israeli government and Israeli businesses, but the administration did not acquiesce. Even before the encampment in April and May of 2024, there were widespread protests at Harvard immediately following the Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
One such protest descended into a confrontation where pro-Palestine demonstrators surrounded a Harvard MBA student and repeatedly shouted 'shame' at him . Claudine Gay, Harvard's president during much of this turmoil, resigned in January 2025 after she refused to condemn students calling for the genocide of Jews when pressed by members of Congress. Gay presided over billions of dollars in lost potential donations from wealthy Jewish families appalled by what took place on campus.
And since Trump has retaken the White House, he has inflicted even more financial damage on the ailing college, freezing about $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts . On top of that, Trump has cut $100 million in remaining contracts with Harvard. Harvard sued the Trump administration for the federal funding freeze and denies accusations of alleged bias against Jewish students. Lawyers for Harvard also argue that the attempted revocation of foreign student visas violates its free speech and due process rights under the US Constitution as well as the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that constrains what federal agencies are allowed to do.
The letter demanded university leaders adopt merit-based admissions policies, stop admitting students who are 'hostile to American values', enforce viewpoint diversity in all academic departments, and immediately end all DEI programs. Officials explained that they wanted what amounted to progress reports on these goals sent to them so they could ensure that their orders were being followed. DailyMail.com approached Harvard University for comment.