U.S. President Donald Trump defended on Sunday (May 25, 2025) his administration’s transfer to block foreign students at Harvard after a choose suspended the motion, branded by the highest college as illegal.
“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to,” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday (May 21, 2025) revoked Harvard’s capability to enroll foreign nationals, throwing the way forward for 1000’s of students and the profitable earnings stream they supply into doubt.
She had threatened final month to block worldwide students at the varsity except it turned over information on visa holders’ “illegal and violent activities.”
But a choose shortly suspended the transfer after the college sued to “stop the government’s arbitrary, capricious, unlawful, and unconstitutional action.”
The White House is cracking down on U.S. universities on a number of fronts, justified as a response to what the administration says is uncontrolled anti-Semitism and a have to reverse range applications aimed at addressing historic oppression of minorities.
It has additionally moved to revoke visas and deport foreign students concerned in protests towards the conflict in Gaza, accusing them of supporting Palestinian militant group Hamas.
At Harvard, the federal government has threatened to place $9 billion of funding underneath overview, then went on to freeze a primary tranche of $2.2 billion of grants and $60 million of official contracts. It has additionally focused a Harvard Medical School researcher for deportation.
The lack of foreign nationals — greater than 1 / 4 of its scholar physique — may show expensive to Harvard, which costs tens of 1000’s of {dollars} a yr in tuition.
Harvard is the wealthiest U.S. college with an endowment valued at $53.2 billion in 2024.
Published – May 25, 2025 04:08 pm IST
