Trump Revokes Foreign Student Visas At Harvard

In a controversial move on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation suspending the entry of international students planning to study at Harvard University for six months. The White House cited national security concerns, accusing Harvard of failing to report foreign students involved in unlawful activities.

The order intensifies an ongoing confrontation between Trump and Harvard University, which began in April when the university rejected the sweeping demands from the administration's 'Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism'. The demands include terminating selected academic programmes, reforming hiring and admission policies, and vetting foreign students for alignment with "American values".

Harvard was also urged to revoke visas of their foreign students. Following the university's refusal to comply, the administration froze over a billion dollars for research grants, claiming Harvard was promoting "antisemitic propaganda". In response, Harvard filed a lawsuit, and on May 23, a federal judge temporarily halted the administration's attempt to cancel student visas and strip the university's certification to host international students. The latest administration directives on the higher education system also target many other prestigious Ivy League universities.

Trump's latest order directs the Secretary of State to also consider revoking the visas of current students at Harvard, which hosts around 7,000 foreign students, approximately 27% of its student population in this academic year. In a statement, the university strongly condemned the new move, calling it "yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights," reported Reuters.