The Trump administration has threatened to revoke Harvard University’s eligibility to host foreign students after cutting $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university following the pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warned #Harvard that its certification to enroll foreign students is contingent upon complying with federal immigration rules. If the school fails to respond to record requests concerning student visa holders by April 30th, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) will automatically withdraw the school’s certification.
L-R: People walking through the campus of Harvard University (April 15, 2025); and pro-Palestine demonstration on the campus of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (October 14, 2023); Photo Credit: Joseph Prezioso/AFP – Getty Images
A Harvard spokesperson confirmed that the university is aware of the DHS letter to comply with Trump administration demands, as reported by Axios, noting that the university “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
Other American higher education institutions have complied with Trump administration demands, but Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, has turned the administration down, stating that the university stands for fighting against antisemitism and that no government should stifle academic freedom.
