Trump Escalates Feud With Harvard Over International Students in New Order

The White House escalated its battle with Harvard University on Wednesday as President Donald Trump signed a proclamation blocking nearly all foreign students from entering the United States to attend the prestigious Ivy League institution.

Newsweek reached out to Harvard via email Wednesday night for comment.

The Context

Trump’s move comes after a federal judge blocked his administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.

Harvard and other Ivy League schools have drawn Trump’s ire since he took office in January over pro-Palestinian student activism on campus. His administration has accused the schools of allowing antisemitism and facilitating the spread of pro-Hamas propaganda by permitting the campus protests, which free-speech advocates say are protected by the First Amendment.

What To Know

“I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” Trump said in his Wednesday order.

The president’s directive stems from Harvard’s refusal to submit to the administration’s demands to change its hiring and admission policies and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, among other issues.

Trump’s battle with the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university has also intensified in recent days after the school refused his administration’s request for records related to foreign students’ misconduct.

“Protecting our national security requires host institutions of foreign students to provide sufficient information, when asked, to enable the Federal Government to identify and address misconduct by those foreign students,” Trump said in the proclamation. “In my judgment, it presents an unacceptable risk to our Nation’s security for an academic institution to refuse to provide sufficient information, when asked, about known instances of misconduct and criminality committed by its foreign students.”

What People Are Saying

Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: “Harvard went so far woke that they violated our civil rights laws. That’s why President Trump has gone Catwoman on them.”

Harvard President Alan M. Garber last month in a statement, in part: “Yesterday, the federal government announced that it has revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students and scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body.”

Garber continued: “We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action. It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams. We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars. The Harvard International Office will provide periodic updates as new information becomes available.”

Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal on X on Wednesday: “This is ridiculous and has nothing to do with national security. It’s a thinly veiled revenge ploy in Trump’s personal feud with Harvard, and continued authoritarian overreach against free speech.”

In a follow-up post, she added: “Sadly, it just hurts America and our ability to attract talented students, professors and researchers.”