Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said existing international students at Harvard University must risk losing their legal status.
Trump says he will cancel Harvard’s tax-free status
The Trump administration threatened to freeze $2 billion in federal funds after it disagreed with the list of requests from the administration.
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration on Thursday enrolled Harvard international students, plunging Ivy League campuses into chaos and revoked their ability to endanger more than a quarter of students’ legal status.
The move shows a major escalation in the White House fight that pressures universities to demand that they overhaul hospitalization, employment and education practices. The decision will almost certainly prompt legal challenges from universities in aggressive litigation against the federal government to freeze billions of dollars in research funding.
In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said current international students at Harvard University must transfer to other universities or risk losing their legal status.
Noem said she would reconsider her decision if Harvard meets her demand for more information, including providing disciplinary records for all international students over the past five years within 72 hours.
At the direction of President Donald Trump, federal agencies have targeted dozens of universities across the country in recent months that have accused authorities of not being sufficient to protect Jewish students. The government has cancelled billions of dollars in research grants and contracts, forcing many agencies to significantly layoffs and budget cuts.
“It’s not a right, not a right, for a university to register international students and benefit from tuition payments to fill billions of dollars in donations,” Noem said. “Harvard had many opportunities to do the right thing, and he refused.”
In a statement, Harvard University spokesman Jason Newton said the university is working promptly to provide guidance and support to students and faculty on Thursday.
“The government’s actions are illegal. We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host universities from more than 140 countries and international students and academics that will enrich the country,” he said. “This retaliation action threatens serious harm to Harvard’s community and our country and undermines Harvard’s academic research mission.”
Foreign students were surprised: “It just feels so sad.”
The decision surprised the Harvard international student community. Some of them await graduation next weekend. Over 25% of Harvard’s total student population is international students, with approximately 6,800 registered this year.
“To be honest, I feel very sad for now,” said Leo Gelden, a 22-year-old Harvard student from Sweden, studying economics and government. “I’ve had such an incredible time at this university. Harvard is known for always bringing together the best people from all over the world. Now we can take it from us, and Harvard is no longer Harvard.”
Gelden said international students were still scrambling Thursday afternoon to understand the meaning of the change.
Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA Today. You can contact him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @Zachschermele and follow Bluesky at @Zachschermele.bsky.social.
