Trump defends Harvard ban, demands Foreign Student details

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Sunday, May 25th, 2025

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump has defended the federal government’s decision to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll foreign students, citing national security concerns and a lack of financial transparency. Posting on the TRUTH social media platform, Trump questioned why Harvard had not disclosed that nearly 31% of its students are international, accusing the institution of benefiting from countries that “pay nothing” toward their students’ education.
Trump called his administration’s demand for information on “violent activities by non-immigrant students” a “reasonable” security measure. “We give Harvard billions of dollars, and they won’t even provide the names and countries of these students,” he wrote. “Harvard has $52 million use it, and stop asking the government for more grants!”
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), effectively banning it from enrolling foreign nationals. Noem cited the university’s failure to comply with a federal deadline to submit records of any violent or illegal acts by foreign students. A federal judge has since placed a temporary hold on the ban.
The crackdown is part of a broader administration effort to address what it calls anti-Semitic behavior on campuses and to reverse diversity initiatives. Officials have also moved to deport students involved in protests against the Gaza war, accusing them of supporting Hamas.
The financial implications for Harvard could be severe. The government has already frozen $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in federal contracts, and may review up to $9 billion in funding. Harvard also risks losing significant tuition revenue, as international students who pay substantial fees make up over a quarter of its student body.