Latest news with #StudentandVisitorExchangeProgram
Calgary Herald
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Trump's move to block foreign students from Harvard sends shockwaves within Canadian circles
The Donald Trump administration's attempt to revoke Harvard University's ability to enrol international students is sending shockwaves through business and academic circles, with current and former students fearing that Canadian ties with the Ivy League school could become collateral damage in its escalating fight with the White House. Article content Last Thursday, Trump announced he was stripping Harvard's access to the government database known as the Student and Visitor Exchange Program that manages international students attending U.S. universities. The order would effectively quash the Cambridge, Mass.-based school's licence to enrol and keep its non-United States students, translating into a potential loss of more than 6,000 students, including 769 Canadian students and scholars currently enrolled at the school. Article content Article content 'I fear that innocent Canadians who are studying at Harvard may get caught between the crossfire between two powerful forces: Harvard and the Trump administration,' said Nilam Ganenthiran, founder and chief executive of Beacon Software Inc., an investor in software companies, and former president of Canadian-American grocery delivery platform Instacart. Article content Article content Canadians represent Harvard's second-largest international student contingent, with enrolment remaining largely consistent over the past decade. The school boasts a long list of Canadian alumni, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who graduated with a degree in economics in 1987, alongside notable academics, businesspeople and athletes. Article content Canada's relationship with Harvard dates back at least 70 years; the school has been certified by the U.S. government to enrol international students under the F-1 student visa program since 1954. Article content Article content But the White House has repeatedly accused Harvard of failing to combat antisemitism on campus, which it cites as justification for its actions against America's oldest university. Article content Article content Harvard responded to Trump's order last week by suing the government in federal court, accusing the administration of 'clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights' to make its own decisions about how to govern the school, the lawsuit said. Article content 'With a stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,' the complaint said. Article content A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's order, preventing an immediate crisis for Harvard's international student body, but a hearing commenced on Thursday to consider whether the temporary measure should be extended.
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Did Trump go to Harvard? A look at 8 presidents who graduated from the university
Harvard has recently come under fire from the Trump administration for failing to adhere to federal norms and guidelines. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard's Student and Visitor Exchange Program (SVEP) certification, stripping its ability to host foreign students. The development has led to several non-immigrant students being forced to switch schools mid-semester or risking their legal status being stripped away. The government accused the university of 'fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus' and failure on the part its administration to turn in footage and disciplinary records of foreign students. This leaves the future of Harvard's ever-increasing foreign demographic at stake and threatens the reputation of the university responsible for producing some of America's most eminent contributors in fields ranging from science and law to public policy and decision-making. According to an article published in The Harvard Gazette, the university's official news website, 'Harvard has educated more U.S. presidents than any other university. Yale University has produced five U.S. presidents, with George W. Bush counting for both Harvard and Yale.' John Adams (in office 1797-1801) America's second president and first vice president enrolled at Harvard back in 1951. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1755 and passed out at a time when graduates were still arranged according to the dignity of their birth ranks rather than merits. Adams developed a keen interest in literature and law during his time at the university and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1758. John Quincy Adams (in office 1825-29) Son of John Adams, John Quincy Adams followed in the footsteps of his father's alma mater when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the university in 1785. His education before was handled by private tutors and schools in Paris and the Netherlands. Adams graduated second in a class of 51 pupils. Rutherford B. Hayes (in office 1877-81) After finishing his schooling in Connecticut and graduating as valedictorian from Kenyon College, the 19th President of America enrolled at Harvard in 1843 to pursue law. Hayes is remembered for his efforts to cut across divisions of the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt (in office 1901-09) A pioneer for granting women equal marital rights among other progressive policies, Roosevelt was considered eccentric by his classmates during his time at Harvard. The former President had a knack for natural sciences and participated in a range of extracurricular activities. He passed out in 1880 with a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude after graduating with honors. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (in office 1933-45) A distant cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D Roosevelt is remembered for leading the country through the Great Depression and World War II over the course of his four terms as President. Captain of the freshman football team and reporter for the student paper The Crimson were only some of Roosevelt's attempts to gain a social standing rather than any sort of academic excellence. His rejection from the university's most elite club Porcellian left the former President dejected. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1903. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (in office 1961-63) Kennedy's senior honor thesis during his time at Harvard, about Britain's lack of preparation for World War II, went on to become his famous publication Why England Slept years later. Though he was never academically inclined and always in his brother's shadow, Kennedy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government with a concentration in international affairs in 1940. He is known for being America's youngest president and dealt with the Cold War, space race, and civil rights advancements during his time in office. George W. Bush (in office 2001-09) George W Bush originally followed in his father's footsteps by earning a degree in history from Yale. Following the rejection of his law application to the University of Texas, Bush enrolled at Harvard Business School instead. He passed with a Master of Science degree in business administration from the university in 1975, making him the first American President to hold an MBA. Rather than starting in the legal division, Bush got his start in the oil business and went on to lead America in the wake of the September 11 attacks and the Iraq invasion. Barack Obama (in office 2009-17) America's first president of color was originally born in Hawaii but passionate about following in his father's footsteps to study at Harvard. After getting a degree in international relations from Columbia, Barack Obama pursued a legal education at Harvard in 1988. During his stint as a student, he was also elected president of Harvard Law Review, a student-run journal of legal scholarship. Obama also received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the university's Law School magna cum laude in 1991 and went on to spend his time in office focusing on reforms in healthcare and economy. Donald Trump, the current President of the United States, did not attend Harvard University. He originally enrolled at Fordham College in New York in 1964 and then went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 after transferring there two years prior.
San Francisco Chronicle
23-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area judge bars Trump from revoking visas for thousands of international students
A Bay Area federal judge barred the Trump administration on Thursday from revoking the visas of thousands of international students at U.S. colleges, saying the government had provided no evidence that the students were breaking the law or posed any danger to the public. Other judges have ruled that immigration officials in President Donald Trump's administration acted illegally in seeking to terminate the legal status of students holding F-1 visas, which allow them to remain in the United States while in college or postgraduate training programs. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White of Oakland said the injunction he issued Thursday is the first nationwide order, affecting as many as 6,400 students. Trump's visa revocation program, labeled the Student Criminal Alien Initiative, has 'uniformly wreaked havoc' on the lives of students in California and elsewhere, the appointee of President George W. Bush said in his ruling. White said his order provides the students 'a measure of stability and certainty that they will be able to continue their studies or their employment without the threat of re-termination hanging over their heads.' Under federal law, F-1 visas can be revoked if a student falls far behind in college, engages in unauthorized employment, lies to immigration officials or commits a violent crime. White said none of the students who sued in his court violated any of those standards. Instead, he said, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ran the names of nearly 1.3 million visa holders through its database and came up with 6,400 students who had had some contact with law enforcement but no disqualifying criminal convictions — one current plaintiff, for example, had no criminal record but had unknowingly enrolled in a university involved in a 'sting' operation. Federal officials then told those students that they were 'failing to maintain status' and their records would be terminated in the Student and Visitor Exchange Program, which monitors foreign students. Lawyers for the Trump administration told White that the notice was merely a 'red flag' and would not affect the students' immigration status, but the judge disagreed. When the government takes such an action, White said, a student loses all work authorization, on or off-campus, and ICE agents 'may investigate to confirm the departure of the student.' Immigration officials have recently taken steps to restore some of the students' records that made them eligible for visas. But White said they have also announced that their action would remain in effect 'until a new policy was implemented' — evidence, he said, that a court order is the students' only legal protection. The government's actions 'reflect an instinct that has become prevalent in our society to effectuate change: move fast and break things.' White said. 'That instinct must be checked when it conflicts with established principles of law.' A lawyer for the students said the Trump administration 'realized they had done something completely illegal and tried to walk it back, but they didn't go far enough, and the court realized that.' 'We're happy for the students,' said attorney Marc Van Der Hout, who represented the plaintiffs along with his law partner, Johnny Sinodis. 'We hope this teaches this administration a lesson that courts will step in to stop outrageous actions.'
