INTERNATIONAL
EXPLAINER - Analysts see 'immense' impact as Trump ratchets up pressure on Harvard
Leo Gerden, graduating international student from Sweden, speaks during a "Harvard Stand United" rally to "support and celebrate" the school's international students at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, May 27, 2025. - REUTERS
WASHINGTON: A U.S. judge on Friday (May 23) temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students, a policy the White House says is a reaction to antisemitism at the Ivy League school. Harvard says the move is part of President Donald Trump's broader effort to retaliate against it for refusing to "surrender its academic independence."
AI Brief
The order provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university called a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.
Nicole Anslover, a presidential historian and associate professor at Florida Atlantic University, says the potential impact on Harvard is "immense" since about a quarter of Harvard's student body comes from outside the U.S.
The move to bar foreign students at Harvard, conveyed in a letter Thursday (May 22) from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was the latest escalation in a broader battle as Trump seeks to compel universities, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias. Harvard has also lost federal funding totaling more than $2 billion and is fighting the loss of its tax-exempt status.
New York's Columbia University, which has seen intense pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's sustained military campaign in Gaza, has said it is working to address the "legitimate concerns" of the Trump's administration, after $400 million of federal government funding was canceled over allegations of antisemitism on campus.
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AI Brief
- A court order temporarily halts Trump's policy that would have forced over 7,000 international students at Harvard to transfer.
- Harvard faces severe impacts, having lost over US$2 bil in federal funding, and is fighting the loss of its tax-exempt status.
- The move is part of Trump's broader push to pressure elite universities, with Columbia also losing funds amid campus controversies.
The order provides temporary relief to thousands of international students who were faced with being forced to transfer under a policy that the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university called a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and said would have an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.
Nicole Anslover, a presidential historian and associate professor at Florida Atlantic University, says the potential impact on Harvard is "immense" since about a quarter of Harvard's student body comes from outside the U.S.
The move to bar foreign students at Harvard, conveyed in a letter Thursday (May 22) from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was the latest escalation in a broader battle as Trump seeks to compel universities, courts and other institutions that value independence from partisan politics to align with his agenda. Trump and fellow Republicans have long accused elite universities of left-wing bias. Harvard has also lost federal funding totaling more than $2 billion and is fighting the loss of its tax-exempt status.
New York's Columbia University, which has seen intense pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's sustained military campaign in Gaza, has said it is working to address the "legitimate concerns" of the Trump's administration, after $400 million of federal government funding was canceled over allegations of antisemitism on campus.