Washington: Europe and the Arabs
The Trump administration has intensified its battle with Harvard University, revoking its permission to accept international students for the upcoming academic year as part of its efforts to suppress "left-wing and liberal activism."
The administration of US President Donald Trump has revoked Harvard University's authority to accept international students as part of its escalating conflict with the Ivy League institution.
The Trump administration says thousands of current students will be required to either transfer to other universities or leave the country. According to what was published by the European news network Euronews in Brussels on Friday morning, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: "This means that Harvard can no longer enroll international students, and current international students must transfer or lose their legal status."
The agency issued this announcement yesterday, Thursday, noting that the prestigious educational institution fostered an unsafe atmosphere on campus by allowing "anti-American agitators and supporters of terrorism" to attack Jewish students on its grounds.
Furthermore, the agency alleged that Harvard collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party, alleging that it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary organization in 2024.
Harvard University has approximately 6,800 international students enrolled at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, representing more than a quarter of its total student body.
The majority of these students are pursuing graduate studies and hail from more than 100 different countries.
Harvard described the action as unlawful and said it is working to provide guidance to students.
The university said in A statement from her: "This retaliatory action threatens to cause grave harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission."
The conflict between the Trump administration and Harvard, the oldest and wealthiest university in the United States, has escalated since Harvard became the first institution to publicly resist White House demands for changes at the elite college, which has been described as a hotbed of liberalism and anti-Semitism.
The federal government has cut federal grants to Harvard by $2.6 billion (€2.3 billion), forcing the university to self-fund a significant portion of its extensive research activities. Trump has expressed a desire to strip the university of its tax-exempt status.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the decision to bar Harvard from hosting international students for the upcoming academic year stems from the university's inability to comply with an April 16 request for information on international students.
The Department of Homeland Security formally requested the university to provide data on students who participated in protests or dangerous activities on campus for consideration of deportation.
Noem said Harvard could regain its ability to host international students if it provided The requested records must be submitted within 72 hours. The Department of Homeland Security's latest request requires the submission of all records, including audio recordings or video footage, of foreign students studying at the university.
Students representing a group representing Harvard's Young Democrats said the Trump administration is manipulating students' futures to advance an extremist agenda and silence dissent.
"Trump's attack on international students is classic authoritarianism—Harvard must continue to stand its ground," the group said in a statement.
The administration's actions have drawn condemnation from free speech groups, including the Foundation for the Defense of Individual Rights and Expression, which said Noem is calling for a "surveillance state."
"This vicious campaign targets constitutionally protected freedom of expression and must be unequivocally rejected," the group said.