BREAKING: Trump Administration’s Foreign Student Ban for Harvard

The US government threatened to prevent Harvard University from accepting foreign students after Harvard refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s administration demands which led to its funding being frozen.

The White House required the most ancient US college to revise its hiring and admissions policies along with teaching methods to combat campus antisemitism.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requested records regarding what she described as “illegal and violent” behavior by foreign students holding visas.

Harvard stated it had implemented numerous measures to combat antisemitism on its campus while also declaring that the demands represented an attempt to control its “intellectual conditions”.

Harvard President Alan Garber announced on Monday to the Harvard community that the university will maintain its autonomy and uphold its constitutional rights.

Noem’s recent request stated the institution must turn over records to maintain its ability to accept foreign students.

Harvard became aware of Noem’s new request through a letter as reported by Reuters news agency.

A total of more than 27% of Harvard’s students enrolled this year are international students. Before Noem made her statement, the university faced a financial crisis due to a federal funding freeze that affected almost $2.2 billion (£1.7bn).

Trump announced his intention to end Harvard’s tax exemption which would lead to annual financial losses amounting to millions of dollars for the university. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has initiated planning according to U.S. media reports to implement this action.

Implications for Harvard’s International Student Body

Harvard has about 6,800 international students. This ban could seriously affect their education and future in the U.S. It’s also a big financial issue for the university.

Foreign student tuition is a key source of income for Harvard. It’s also important for many other schools in the country. But Trump feels the school has lost its way.

Harvard has declared that its tax exemption cannot be legally revoked and stated that revoking this exemption would threaten its educational mission.

On Wednesday Trump launched yet another assault on the university declaring it had lost its status as a respectable educational institution.

The administration has launched multiple attacks against Harvard as part of a broader pattern. The government’s task force on antisemitism has selected at least 60 universities to examine further.

Trump campaigned to impose financial restrictions on universities which he described as anti-conservative institutions. Both he and Vice-President JD Vance have persistently criticized higher education institutions.

Americans across the political spectrum showed declining trust in higher education according to last year’s Gallup polls with Republicans leading this trend because they believe universities promote political agendas.

Trump has focused his attention specifically on universities that hosted pro-Palestinian demonstrations since he became president. Jewish students reported feeling unsafe and experiencing harassment at their university.

Columbia University consented to multiple demands from the administration in March when federal funding of $400 million was withdrawn following charges that the institution did not address antisemitism.

The administration demanded Columbia University replace the head of its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies department and promised to conduct a review to confirm fairness in admission processes.

Harvard University responded to criticism by removing the leadership of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies because they had been accused of neglecting Israeli viewpoints.

The institution refused to comply with the White House’s latest demands.