Washington, D.C. — A federal court has temporarily blocked the U.S. government’s move to bar Harvard University from admitting international students, but former President Donald Trump is standing firm in support of the controversial policy.
In a statement posted Sunday (May 25) on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump questioned Harvard’s enrollment practices, saying, “Why doesn’t Harvard acknowledge that nearly 31% of its students are from foreign countries—some of which are not friendly to the United States—and don’t pay for their education, nor ever intend to?”
Trump also criticized the university’s lack of transparency: “We want to know who these foreign students are. That is a reasonable request, considering we’ve given Harvard billions of dollars, yet the university continues to withhold this information.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last Thursday (May 22) that it was revoking Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), effectively suspending the university’s ability to admit international students. Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Noem stated, “Admitting international students is a privilege, not a right,” adding that the action was a warning to universities nationwide.
Noem accused Harvard of fostering violence, promoting antisemitism, and cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party. Last month, she threatened to bar international students from attending Harvard unless the university turned over records of visa holders allegedly involved in illegal or violent activities.
In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston on Friday, arguing that the government’s actions violate the Constitution and would have “direct and devastating consequences” for the institution and its international community. The university currently hosts about 6,800 international students, representing roughly 27% of its total student population, most of whom are enrolled in graduate programs.
The federal court in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order, blocking the administration’s policy until at least next Thursday (May 29), when a hearing is scheduled.
The move to block Harvard’s Study Abroad Program is the latest in a series of confrontations between the Trump administration and American higher education institutions. The White House claims the crackdown is a response to rising antisemitism on campuses and aims to reverse diversity programs that it says have gone too far in addressing historical oppression.
Trump has also previously announced a freeze on Harvard’s $2.2 billion in federal funding and threatened to strip the university of its tax-exempt status. In April, Harvard sued the administration, accusing it of attempting to influence academic decisions through financial pressure.
As tensions escalate, international students and scholars across the U.S. are left in limbo, uncertain about the future of their Study Abroad opportunities at one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
