US Bars Harvard from Enrolling International Students

The Trump administration has revoked the institution’s ability to enroll international students, citing national security and campus safety concerns. The move effectively blocks the Ivy League school from sponsoring new foreign students and forces thousands currently enrolled to transfer or leave the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the decision Thursday, accusing Harvard of fostering what it called an “unsafe environment,” where “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” have allegedly assaulted Jewish students. The administration also claims the university coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party, pointing to alleged training provided to members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

“This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” DHS said in a statement.

The action affects nearly 6,800 international students currently enrolled at Harvard’s Cambridge, Massachusetts campus, who represent over a quarter of the student population. Most are graduate students from more than 100 countries.

Harvard quickly condemned the move, calling it “unlawful” and politically motivated.

“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country,” the university said in a statement, “and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”

The latest blow comes amid a broader federal crackdown on elite universities that the Trump administration accuses of harboring antisemitism and political radicalism. Over the past year, the government has slashed nearly $2.6 billion in federal grants to Harvard, and President Trump has openly called for the university to lose its tax-exempt status.

According to DHS, the revocation follows Harvard’s alleged failure to comply with a request for records related to foreign students’ involvement in protests. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Harvard has 72 hours to produce a detailed trove of documents — including audio and video surveillance — if it wishes to regain certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which authorizes schools to sponsor international students.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and for its ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” Noem said.

Harvard President Alan Garber defended the university’s position earlier this month, saying the school had implemented governance reforms and a wide-ranging strategy to combat antisemitism. He warned, however, that the institution would not compromise its core values or academic freedoms in the face of political pressure.

Critics have denounced the administration’s action as a direct attack on academic freedom and student rights. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression called DHS’s demand for protest footage “a sweeping fishing expedition” and a dangerous step toward a “surveillance state.”

Student groups at Harvard also reacted sharply. The Harvard College Democrats accused the administration of weaponizing immigration law to silence dissent. “Trump’s attack on international students is textbook authoritarianism — Harvard must continue to hold the line,” the group said.

Higher education leaders nationwide echoed similar concerns. Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, described the move as “illegal and small-minded,” warning of a chilling effect on international student enrollment in the U.S.

The administration’s decision adds fuel to an already volatile national debate over free speech, antisemitism, and foreign influence on American campuses. It also opens a new front in the Trump administration’s broader effort to reshape higher education policy through aggressive enforcement and immigration restrictions.

Harvard has indicated it will challenge the decision and is currently providing guidance to affected students as it seeks legal remedies