WASHINGTON — The Trump administration moved Thursday to kick out thousands of foreign students enrolled at Harvard University, accusing its leaders of fostering antisemitism — only for a federal judge to block immigration officials from revoking the legal status of international students just hours later.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the cancellation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) for the Ivy League Institution — meaning current students from overseas must transfer or leave the US — after threatening in a letter last month that leaders not providing data about crimes committed by foreign students would force her hand.
The cabinet official also pointed to recent reports and a new congressional investigation into Harvard’s purported ties to Chinese military-linked institutions.
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” she said in a statement.
“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments.”
The program allowed up to 6,793 internationals to come to Harvard in the 2024-25 academic year.
“Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused,” Noem went on. “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
A rep for Harvard responded to the announcement by declaring the action “unlawful.”
“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably,” the spokesperson said.
“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
Just hours later, a federal judge in California issued a nationwide injunction blocking the admin from terminating the legal status of international students, while a court case challenging previous terminations is pending.
The order by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White in Oakland bars immigration authorities from arresting or holding students based on their legal status.
White, who was nominated by former President George W. Bush, issued the injunction sought by attorneys for about two dozen students who sued after their status was abruptly terminated in early April by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Meanwhile, Noem had already cancelled $2.7 million in research grants to the Ivy League institution last month.
On April 16, Noem fired off a letter to Maureen Martin, Harvard’s director of immigration services, requesting information about SEVP students’ criminal histories.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) maintains that the university “brazenly” ignored the query as well as a follow-up request.
Noem sent the letter before Harvard sued the Trump administration for cancelling $2.2 billion more in research grants and other funding for allegedly fostering Jew hatred on campus.
The university’s affirmative action policy, which became the subject of a high-profile Supreme Court case two years prior, also prompted the cancellation.
The following month, Trump’s administration scrapped another $450 million in grants — and was hit with a superseding lawsuit by Harvard.
“The Government’s actions flout not just the First Amendment, but also federal laws and regulations,” the revised suit filed by attorney Steven Lehotsky of the law firm Lehotsky Keller Cohn stated.
“Make no mistake: Harvard rejects antisemitism and discrimination in all of its forms and is actively making structural reforms to eradicate antisemitism on campus.”
DHS cited crime rates on the Cambridge, Mass., school’s campus that jumped 55% between 2022 and 2023 — the year when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians.
That included a 295% increase in aggravated assaults, as many Jewish students spoke about about being harassed by pro-Palestinian protesters.
With Post wires
