President Donald Trump sought to limit international student enrollment at Harvard University by signing a proclamation that suspends visas for new students under F, M, or J categories . This decision is framed within the context of national security concerns, as the administration has expressed apprehensions about foreign ties and radicalism associated with certain international students . The announcement has sparked significant debate regarding its implications for both Harvard and the broader academic landscape.
President Trump said that he would prevent Harvard University’s international students from entering the country, an aggressive move the school called “illegal.”
Mr. Trump, in the same proclamation, also urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider revoking current visas for Harvard students.
The extraordinary action marks the first time Mr. Trump has tried to directly use the power of the presidency against Harvard, an indication of how personal the effort to inflict distress on the Ivy League university has become for him.
The proclamation is the US president’s latest attempt to choke the Ivy League school from an international pipeline that accounts for a quarter of the student body, and a further escalation in the White House’s fight with the institution.
“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 wrote in the order.
Trump’s proclamation also directs the US state department to consider revoking academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students who meet his proclamation’s criteria.
The proclamation temporarily blocks the entry of nearly all new Harvard student as nonimmigrants into the United States under visas most international students use to study at universities or participate in academic exchange programs in the country.
It also directs the Secretary of State “to consider revoking” those visas – known as F, M and J visas – for current Harvard students who meet the proclamation’s “criteria,” the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.
The move throws Harvard’s ability to enroll international students – which make up about 27% of the student body – into doubt once again just days after a federal judge blocked the administration’s last attempt targeting foreign students at the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university.
This legal challenge against Trump's proclamation highlights a critical intersection between education policy and immigration law. While supporters may view this as a necessary security measure, opponents contend that it jeopardizes the collaborative spirit that drives innovation and research in higher education. Ultimately, this situation reflects broader tensions surrounding immigration policy in the United States and its impact on prestigious academic institutions like Harvard.
Read more
Trump bans entry to U.S. for citizens of 12 countries Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof steps down after Geert Wilders quits government - Dutch government collapses
Sara H
Also on site :
- Michael Mosley’s family say ‘it’s hard to believe that a year has passed’ since his death
- How to prevent sports injuries in children
- What men need to know about prostatectomies – according to prostate cancer specialists