US Homeland Security threatens to strip Harvard University’s eligibility to enrol international students

WASHINGTON, DC: US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has threatened to revoke Harvard University’s eligibility to enrol international students if it does not turn over records on international students’ “illegal and violent activities,” the agency has said according to CNN.

As per a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) news release on Wednesday, Noem “wrote a scathing letter demanding detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities by April 30, 2025, or face immediate loss of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification.”

The certification enables universities to issue forms to admitted students from abroad that they can use for applying visa to enter the US, according to DHS. As per the univerisity’s data, 6,793 international students study in Harvard University and comprise 27.2 per cent of its enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year. On Wednesday, DHS announced the cancellation of two federal grants worth USD 2.7 million to Harvard University.

In a statement, a Harvard spokesperson said that the university is aware about the letter. However, they stand by their previous statement that they “will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”

The statement reads, “We will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same.” It further said, “If federal action is taken against a member of our community, we expect it will be based on clear evidence, follow established legal procedures, and respect the constitutional rights afforded to all individuals.”

The DHS letter accused Harvard of causing a “hostile learning environment” for Jewish students, CNN reported, citing student newspaper The Harvard Crimson. The letter reads, “It is a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University, not a guarantee.”

The letter requested the university to provide information on visa holders’ “known threats to other students or university personnel,” “obstruction of the school’s learning environment,” and any disciplinary actions “taken as a result of making threats to other students or populations or participating in protests,” CNN reported, citing The Crimson.

This comes after the Trump administration announced that it is freezing more than USD 2 billion in multi-year grants and contracts at Harvard University after its leaders did not agree to make key policy changes that the White House has demanded of elite US colleges.

The task force said, “Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges – that federal investment does not come with the responsibility to uphold civil rights laws.”

It further stated, “The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable. The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable.”The task force announced a freeze on USD 2.2 billion in multi-year grants and USD 60 million in multi-year contract value to Harvard University, Fox News reported.

The statement said, “It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”

“The Joint Task Force to combat anti-Semitism is announcing a freeze on USD 2.2 billion in multi-year grants and USD 60M in multi-year contract value to Harvard University,” the statement said.

The Trump administration’s decision follows Harvard University President Alan M Garber’s statement that the school would not follow the administration’s demands despite the possibility of the Ivy League school losing federal funding.

In his letter, Garber said the federal government has threatened its partnerships with several universities, including Harvard, due to accusations of anti-semitism on their campuses. He stated that the Trump administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, saying if the school wants to maintain financial ties with the federal government, it must comply.

In his letter, Garber wrote, “Late Friday night, the administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to ‘maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government’. It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner. Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”

Alan M Garber said that they have informed the administration that they will not accept their proposed agreement.

“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber wrote in the letter. (ANI)