Donald Trump's war on Harvard University

[Stewie]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/15/harvard-resist-trump-wealth-university-00291919

The oldest and wealthiest university in America — long a training ground for cultural elites — is quickly becoming a face of the resistance to President Donald Trump.

Harvard University vowed this week to fight a wide-ranging set of demands from the Trump administration, pitting the biggest name brand in American higher education against the White House and setting up a remarkable clash of power that could wind up in court.

The fight is quickly escalating. Federal officials have frozen more than $2 billion in grants to the university after it refused to comply with policy changes requested by the Trump administration, including to crack down on student protests, change admissions and hiring practices and submit to government audits. Trump on Tuesday suggested on social media that Harvard could lose its tax-exempt status and instead “be Taxed as a Political Entity.”


Harvard, fueled by a massive endowment valued at more than $53 billion and a powerful alumni network, is now uniquely positioned to become the most prominent U.S. institution yet to actively fight Trump’s efforts to bend elements of American civil society to his will.

“Harvard — by virtue of its resources, its history and its commitment to free speech — is in a position to defend itself,” said Steven Hyman, who previously served as Harvard’s provost, the top academic officer at the school.

While the clash has been brewing for months as the Trump administration targeted other elite schools, this week represents a remarkable inflection point in Trump’s campaign to target institutions his administration sees as hostile — and in the 388-year-old history of America’s wealthiest university.

“Politicians have traditionally, bottom line, been proud of the fact that American higher education was the envy of the world,” said Thomas Parker, a Harvard alum who is a senior associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, a Washington-based advocacy organization. “It is unprecedented for the view to be the opposite.”

The blitz against the country’s top universities is being led by some of the most powerful people in the West Wing, including Stephen Miller, Trump’s top policy adviser; Vince Haley, director of the Domestic Policy Council; and May Mailman, a senior policy strategist and graduate of Harvard Law School.

Harvard now must decide whether to negotiate with the Trump administration or fight back in court. The university is being represented by two lawyers with significant street credibility on the right: William A. Burck, who has represented many Trump allies in legal disputes, and Robert Hur, a Harvard alum who authored a report on former President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents that conservatives cited as evidence of his mental decline during the 2024 campaign.

The clash is putting a spotlight on Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, who was thrust into the school’s top job last year after his predecessor, Claudine Gay, resigned amid a plagiarism scandal and concerns about her handling of campus antisemitism.


A 69-year-old lifelong academic with degrees in both economics and medicine and a reserved demeanor, Garber is hardly a natural fit to become a resistance leader. But his response to Trump this week is being hailed by Democrats and many on Harvard’s campus as an example of how to fight the president’s aggression.

Garber wrote in a statement Monday that the Trump administration’s demands to the school violate “Harvard’s First Amendment rights and [exceed] the statutory limits of the government’s authority.”

“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” he wrote.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Harvard “has not taken the administration’s demand seriously.”

“All the president is asking is, don’t break federal law, and then you can have your federal funding,” she said. Leavitt added that Trump “wants to see Harvard apologize” for “the egregious antisemitism that took place on their college campus against Jewish American students.”

Many on the left now hope Harvard’s resistance will spur a new wave of pushback from institutions the administration is seeking changes from. But the funding freeze could create significant issues for the university, even despite its wealth — and it’s unclear if others will follow suit.

“Historically, universities in general have been pretty good at fending off government intervention,” Parker said. “What I’ve been asking myself lately is, Harvard has made this historically important and grand gesture — but where’s everybody else? Where’s the coalition?”

 

[sweep_shot]

Question is why is Trump not getting impeached?

If a president is behaving like an unstable lunatic, he should be lawfully and forcefully removed in my opinion.

Trump has no business dictating what Harvard can or can't do. Harvard is a private university.

 

[Stewie]

Question is why is Trump not getting impeached?

If a president is behaving like an unstable lunatic, he should be lawfully and forcefully removed in my opinion.

Trump has no business dictating what Harvard can or can't do. Harvard is a private university.

He wont get impeached, even when he did the last time, no action was taken. This time he has the entire Zionist lobby backing him.

 

[Farhan The Man]

The oldest and wealthiest university in America — long a training ground for cultural elites — is quickly becoming a face of the resistance to President Donald Trump.

Therein lies the answer.

trumpy boi is on the right path.

Uprooting breeding pastures of these liberal snowflakes.

 

[Stewie]

Therein lies the answer.

trumpy boi is on the right path.

Uprooting breeding pastures of these liberal snowflakes.

This has nothing to do with being liberal/otherwise. This is all about the Zionist agenda and cutting off the freedom of speech.

 

[sweep_shot]

He wont get impeached, even when he did the last time, no action was taken. This time he has the entire Zionist lobby backing him.

They should change USA's name to USI perhaps.

USI = United States of Israel.

It is practically USI.

 

[Stewie]

They should change USA's name to USI perhaps.

USI = United States of Israel.

It is practically USI.

Unfortunately, its very true.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Trump administration threatens Harvard with foreign student ban
The US government has threatened to ban Harvard University from enrolling foreign students - after the institution said it would not bow to demands from President Donald Trump's administration and was hit with a funding freeze.

The White House has demanded the oldest university in the US make changes to hiring, admissions and teaching practices - to help fight antisemitism on campus.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has asked for records on what she called the "illegal and violent" activities of its foreign student visa-holders.

Harvard earlier said it had taken many steps to address antisemitism, and that demands were an effort to regulate the university's "intellectual conditions".

"The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights," Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a message on Monday to the Harvard community.

The new request from Noem said the institution would lose the "privilege of enrolling foreign students" if it did not comply with the demand for records.

Harvard said it was aware of the new request from Noem, which was made in a letter, the Reuters news agency reported.

International students make up more than 27% of Harvard's enrolment this year. Even before Noem's statement, billions of dollars hung in the balance for the university, after the freeze of some $2.2 bn (£1.7bn) in federal funding.

Trump has also threatened to also remove Harvard's valuable tax exemption, the loss of which could cost Harvard millions of dollars each year. US media reports suggest the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) has started drawing up plans to enact this.

"Harvard can no longer be considered even a decent place of learning, and should not be considered on any list of the World's Great Universities or Colleges," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.

"Harvard is a JOKE, teaches Hate and Stupidity, and should no longer receive Federal Funds."

Harvard just stood up to Trump. How long can it last?

Trump threatens Harvard's tax-exempt status. Obama calls Trump's freeze of funding unlawful. The administration's attacks on Harvard are not isolated. The government's antisemitism task force has identified at least 60 universities for review.

During his presidential campaign, Trump pitched a funding crackdown on universities, painting them as hostile to conservatives. He and Vice-President JD Vance have long railed against higher education institutions.

Polling by Gallup last year suggested that confidence in higher education had been falling over time among Americans of all political backgrounds, particularly Republicans, in part due to a belief that universities push a political agenda.

Since taking office, Trump has focused particularly on universities where pro-Palestinian protests have taken place. Some Jewish students have said they felt unsafe and faced harassment on campus.

In March, Columbia University agreed to several of the administration's demands, after $400m in federal funding was pulled over accusations that the university failed to fight antisemitism.

These included replacing the official leading its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies department and pledging to take on a review to "ensure unbiased admission processes".

Harvard too has made concessions - including by dismissing the leaders of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies, who had come under fire for failing to represent Israeli perspectives.

But it has drawn the line at the White House's recent list of demands.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1egdy24v7po

 

[Stewie]

The much trumpeted American values of freedom, liberty, etc are applicable only when they are not against Israel.

I have to say hats off to Harvard for standing up to this moron!

 

[Red-Indian]

The much trumpeted American values of freedom, liberty, etc are applicable only when they are not against Israel.

I have to say hats off to Harvard for standing up to this moron!

Why can't Trump just stick to this kind of pointless nonsense? This is what he's good at - fighting absurd culture wars that don't really impact anything in the larger scheme of things.

Why did he have to get into big boy stuff like economics and world trade? Aren't there other critical issues like low waterflow in toilets/showers, transgenders using the wrong bathrooms or the blatant availability of morning after pills, flying poor labourers back manacled in flights etc.

You Americans aren't keeping him busy enough. You have to keep outraging him about something so he doesn't get involved in important issues.

 

[Stewie]

Why can't Trump just stick to this kind of pointless nonsense? This is what he's good at - fighting absurd culture wars that don't really impact anything in the larger scheme of things.

Why did he have to get into big boy stuff like economics and world trade? Aren't there other critical issues like low waterflow in toilets/showers, transgenders using the wrong bathrooms or the blatant availability of morning after pills, flying poor labourers back manacled in flights etc.

You Americans aren't keeping him busy enough. You have to keep outraging him about something so he doesn't get involved in important issues.

I have not been keeping track of politics much like I did back in 2016, for the sake of my own mental well being - but this tariff and the so-called "anti-semitism crackdown" stuff is just too much in the face so I have been commenting on it.

With that being said, from what I could tell back in 2016, CUBW did not expect to win and when he did, I believe he said to himself "wait a minute, there is stuff we can do here". His businesses were failing big time and his idea of running for the oval office was to explore ways to get him out of a few jams. He did navigate that part well. But in his own tomfoolery and buffoonery, I think he started to revel in the response he got from the MAGA folks, and started thinking about what he could do while he was at it.

Its when buffoons start taking themselves seriously when the problems start happening. He had 4 years to think seriously over what he would do if he won again and all these idiotic ideas that probably popped into his head while watching the RW political pundits on late night TV, were being written down somewhere for him to act on.

This is four years of his frustration he is venting at this point and its a spectacular and massive disaster.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump administration ends Harvard's ability to enrol international students

The Trump administration has moved to end Harvard's ability to enrol international students, escalating a standoff with America's oldest university.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that the administration had revoked Harvard's "Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law."

"Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country," she posted on Thursday.

Harvard called the move "unlawful" in a statement.

"We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably," the university responded.

"We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission."

The Trump administration's decisions could affect thousands of international students who study at the university. Over 6,700 international students were enrolled at the institution last academic year, university data shows, making up 27% of its student body.

News quickly spread through the international community on campus Thursday, sparking fear and frustration among the thousands of students whose futures were suddenly in limbo.

"We're seeing a lot of confusion on this," Sarah Davis, an Australian student receiving a graduate degree, told BBC Newshour.

"The news has come only five days before a lot of us are due to graduate the university, and this obviously is going to have a lot of very uncertain implications for whether we're able to stay on in the United States afterwards and keep working here," said Ms Davis, who is president of the Australia and New Zealand Caucus at the Harvard Kennedy School.

"We're all just sitting back and waiting to see whether or not we get communications about what the next steps are from the university."

Leo Gerdén, a 22-year-old undergraduate from Sweden, remembers the day he received his admission letter to Harvard as the best day of his life. With less than a week until graduation, he didn't imagine his time at the prestigious campus ending like this.

"International students are being used as poker chips in a battle between the White House and Harvard," Mr Gerdén told the BBC. "It's incredibly dehumanising."

The Trump administration has launched investigations into dozens of universities across the countries and wrung concessions from other major US institutions like Columbia University in New York.

But in April, Harvard University became the most prominent institution to push back, announcing it would sue the Trump administration after it sent the school a list of lengthy demands. The White House later said the list was sent by mistake.

It has demanded Harvard change its hiring, admissions and teaching practices to help fight antisemitism on campus. It has threatened to revoke the university's tax-exempt status and freeze billions of dollars in government grants.

Harvard earlier this year said it had taken many steps to address antisemitism, and that the government's demands were an effort to regulate the university's "intellectual conditions".

But the standoff continued to escalate.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) then warned Harvard that it could lose its ability to host international students if it did not comply with a sweeping records request from the administration pertaining to international students.

In Thursday's letter, Noem followed through. She announced that DHS had revoked Harvard's access to the SEVP programme, which meant that it would not be able to enroll individuals with F- or J- non-immigrant status for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year.

Individuals on these visas would have to transfer to other universities to maintain legal status, she wrote.

The letter stated Harvard had 72 hours to comply with a list of demands to have an "opportunity" to regain its ability to enrol these students.

That included providing the government with all disciplinary records for non-immigrant students enrolled at Harvard over the past five years. Noem also demanded Harvard turn over electronic records, videos, or audio of "illegal" and "dangerous or violent" activity by non-immigrant students on campus.

In her post on X, Noem warned that the move should "serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."

The Trump administration has attempted to curtail individual visas for international students, causing confusion on university campuses across the US and leading to a wave of lawsuits.

In some cases, those revocations appeared to affect foreign students who participated in political protests or have had previous criminal charges, such as driving infractions.

In a separate court case on Thursday, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from cancelling the legal status of international students across the US while challenges to the policy play out in court.

"We came here because of what America stands for: freedom of speech, academic freedom, a vibrant intellectual community," Mr Gerdén said of his international classmates. "And now Trump is threatening all those values."

"Without the international students, Harvard is simply not Harvard anymore," he said.

BBC

 

[Ball Blazer]

Trump administration ends Harvard's ability to enrol international students

The Trump administration has moved to end Harvard's ability to enrol international students, escalating a standoff with America's oldest university.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X that the administration had revoked Harvard's "Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law."

"Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country," she posted on Thursday.

Harvard called the move "unlawful" in a statement.

"We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably," the university responded.

"We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission."

The Trump administration's decisions could affect thousands of international students who study at the university. Over 6,700 international students were enrolled at the institution last academic year, university data shows, making up 27% of its student body.

News quickly spread through the international community on campus Thursday, sparking fear and frustration among the thousands of students whose futures were suddenly in limbo.

"We're seeing a lot of confusion on this," Sarah Davis, an Australian student receiving a graduate degree, told BBC Newshour.

"The news has come only five days before a lot of us are due to graduate the university, and this obviously is going to have a lot of very uncertain implications for whether we're able to stay on in the United States afterwards and keep working here," said Ms Davis, who is president of the Australia and New Zealand Caucus at the Harvard Kennedy School.

"We're all just sitting back and waiting to see whether or not we get communications about what the next steps are from the university."

Leo Gerdén, a 22-year-old undergraduate from Sweden, remembers the day he received his admission letter to Harvard as the best day of his life. With less than a week until graduation, he didn't imagine his time at the prestigious campus ending like this.

"International students are being used as poker chips in a battle between the White House and Harvard," Mr Gerdén told the BBC. "It's incredibly dehumanising."

The Trump administration has launched investigations into dozens of universities across the countries and wrung concessions from other major US institutions like Columbia University in New York.

But in April, Harvard University became the most prominent institution to push back, announcing it would sue the Trump administration after it sent the school a list of lengthy demands. The White House later said the list was sent by mistake.

It has demanded Harvard change its hiring, admissions and teaching practices to help fight antisemitism on campus. It has threatened to revoke the university's tax-exempt status and freeze billions of dollars in government grants.

Harvard earlier this year said it had taken many steps to address antisemitism, and that the government's demands were an effort to regulate the university's "intellectual conditions".

But the standoff continued to escalate.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) then warned Harvard that it could lose its ability to host international students if it did not comply with a sweeping records request from the administration pertaining to international students.

In Thursday's letter, Noem followed through. She announced that DHS had revoked Harvard's access to the SEVP programme, which meant that it would not be able to enroll individuals with F- or J- non-immigrant status for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year.

Individuals on these visas would have to transfer to other universities to maintain legal status, she wrote.

The letter stated Harvard had 72 hours to comply with a list of demands to have an "opportunity" to regain its ability to enrol these students.

That included providing the government with all disciplinary records for non-immigrant students enrolled at Harvard over the past five years. Noem also demanded Harvard turn over electronic records, videos, or audio of "illegal" and "dangerous or violent" activity by non-immigrant students on campus.

In her post on X, Noem warned that the move should "serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country."

The Trump administration has attempted to curtail individual visas for international students, causing confusion on university campuses across the US and leading to a wave of lawsuits.

In some cases, those revocations appeared to affect foreign students who participated in political protests or have had previous criminal charges, such as driving infractions.

In a separate court case on Thursday, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from cancelling the legal status of international students across the US while challenges to the policy play out in court.

"We came here because of what America stands for: freedom of speech, academic freedom, a vibrant intellectual community," Mr Gerdén said of his international classmates. "And now Trump is threatening all those values."

"Without the international students, Harvard is simply not Harvard anymore," he said.

BBC

Harvard sues Trump administration for blocking foreign student enrolment

Harvard is suing the Trump administration after it revoked the university's ability to enrol international students, escalating a dispute between the White House and one of America's most prestigious institutions.

In the suit filed in Boston, the university called the administration's actions a "blatant violation" of the law.

It comes a day after officials at the Department of Homeland Security said they would be revoking Harvard's access to student visa programmes.

The Trump administration says Harvard has not done enough to fight antisemitism and change its hiring and admissions practices – allegations that the university has strongly denied.

SOURCE: BBC

 

[Bewal Express]

Trump is like a PK General- he wants no criticism or opposition. A total buffoon thay has taken advantage of a FOX NEWS groomed public with ignorance at its heart.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Harvard foreign students face uncertainty as Trump plan to block enrolment is halted - for now

A judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration's plan to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol foreign students.

The ruling came after Harvard filed a lawsuit - the latest escalation of a dispute between the White House and one of America's most prestigious institutions.

The university said the administration's decision on Thursday to bar international students was a "blatant violation" of the law and free speech rights.

The Trump administration says Harvard has not done enough to fight antisemitism, and change its hiring and admissions practices – allegations that the university has strongly denied.

US District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order in a short ruling issued on Friday.

The order pauses a move that the Department of Homeland Security made on Thursday to revoke Harvard's access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) - a government database that manages foreign students.

The next hearing will occur on 29 May in Boston.

"With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission," Harvard argued in the lawsuit.

"We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action," Harvard President Alan Garber said in a letter.

"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," he wrote.

In response, White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said: "If only Harvard cared this much about ending the scourge of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators on their campus they wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.

After the restraining order was issued, Ms Jackson accused the judge in the case of having a "liberal agenda".

"These unelected judges have no right to stop the Trump Administration from exercising their rightful control over immigration policy and national security policy," she said.

Graduation in the shadow of uncertainty

It was quiet at Harvard on Friday. Classes have finished for the year and preparations are being made for commencements. Gazebos were going up on the quad as students rented their gowns and collected tickets for family members.

For those graduating, it should be a week of celebration. But for foreign students hoping to remain in the US, it's been a 24-hour whirlwind.

All morning Harvard's international student body scrambled to find out what was going to happen. Would they have to leave the US immediately? Were they now under the threat of deportation?

Cormac Savage from Downpatrick in Co Down Northern Ireland is six days from graduating with a degree in government and languages. He's taking a job in Brussels, partly because of the uncertainty in the US.

"You know that you're fine if you're still legally in the United States for the next 90 days, but you don't know that you can come back and finish your degree," he said on Friday. "You don't know if you can stay and work in the US if you're about to graduate.

The order also complicates plans for students still enroled, like Rohan Battula, a junior from the UK who will rely on his visa to work in New York in June.

"I was worried if I went home I wouldn't get to come back," he told BBC, so he opted to stay on campus.

For a group of international students gathered on the banks of the Charles River, as rowing teams sculled by, the relief was palpable when news came in of the reprieve from the Boston court.

Mr Battula also felt relieved after Judge Burroughs issued her order. But the uncertainty still is taking a toll.

"It's surreal to think that even for some period of time you're unlawfully staying in a country, just because you've been to university there," Mr Battula said.

Student dreams left in limbo

There are around 6,800 international students at Harvard, who make up more than 27% of its enrolled students this year.

Around a fifth of them are from China, with significant numbers from Canada, India, South Korea and the UK. Among the international students currently enrolled is the future queen of Belgium, 23-year-old Princess Elisabeth.

Leo Ackerman was set to study education and entrepreneurship at Harvard beginning in August, fulfilling a "dream".

"I was really excited, and I'm still really excited if I manage to go there," Mr Ackerman said. "Having it taken away feels like a really sad moment for a lot of people."

Eliminating foreign students would take a large bite out of Harvard's finances. Experts say international students are more likely to pay full tuition, essentially subsidising aid for American students.

Undergraduate tuition - not including fees, housing, books, food or health insurance - will reach $59,320 (£43,850) in the coming academic year, according to the university. The total cost of a year at Harvard before any financial aid is usually significantly more than $100,000.

Isaac Bangura, a public administration student from Sierra Leone, moved to Harvard with his wife and two young daughters after surviving a civil war.

"Since yesterday, my kids has been asking, 'Daddy, I understand they are coming to return us home again.' They are referring to deportation," he said.

He said he has to be strong for them and has faith. "I know the American people are always, whenever they are into issues, they will find ways of resolving it," he said.

In addition to Harvard, the Trump administration has taken aim at other elite institutions, not only arguing that they should do more to clamp down on pro-Palestinian activists but also claiming they discriminate against conservative viewpoints.

On Friday, speaking from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said, "Harvard is going to have to change its ways" and suggested he is considering measures against more universities.

In April, the White House froze $2.2bn (£1.7bn) in federal funding to Harvard, and Trump has threatened to remove the university's tax-exempt status, a standard designation for US educational institutions.

The funding freeze prompted an earlier Harvard lawsuit, also asking the courts to stop the administration's actions.

Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor, said federal courts in Massachusetts and New England, where the initial stages of the case will play out, have consistently ruled against the Trump administration.

But the outcome may be less predictable in the US Supreme Court, where Harvard's case may end up.

"These are tough issues for Harvard, but they have the resources and they seem to have the will to fight," Mr Tobias said.

Harvard leaders have made concessions to the White House - including dismissing the leaders of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies, who came under fire for failing to represent Israeli perspectives.

But it also enlisted several high-profile Republican lawyers, including Robert Hur, a former special counsel who investigated Joe Biden's retention of classified documents.

Foreign students currently attending Harvard have expressed worries that the row could force them to transfer to another university or return home. Being logged on the SEVP system is a requirement for student visas and, if Harvard is blocked from the database, students could be found in violation and potentially face deportation.

Several British students enrolled at Harvard, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity out of fear of immigration authorities, worried their US education could be cut short.

"I definitely think freedom of speech is a problem on campus, but it's being actively worked on... it was an absolute shock when yesterday's announcement happened," said one student

"There's a lot of anger, people feeling like we're being used as pawns in a game."

BBC

 

[Bhaijaan]

American debt situation is alarmingly bad. Doesn’t matter who’s at the helm, they’ve reached a point they need to make desperate moves to improve the situation. The very thought of de-dollarization of global economy gives them nightmares and they would consider it an act of war.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump defends banning foreign students at Harvard

US President Donald Trump defended his decision to temporarily block enrollment of foreign students at Harvard, stating on Sunday that the university receives billions of dollars from the government, which justifies the request for information about international students.

On Truth Social, Trump questioned, “Why doesn’t Harvard state that nearly 31% of its students are from foreign countries? These countries, some of which are not friendly to the United States, do not pay anything for their students’ education and do not plan to. No one told us that!”

The White House is seeking greater control over universities and has become embroiled in a dispute with prestigious Harvard, where Crown Princess Elisabeth is also studying. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that Harvard share information about misconduct by foreign students. She accused the university of potentially creating an unsafe learning environment for Jewish students by failing to adequately address antisemitism.

On Thursday, Noem attempted to prevent Harvard from enrolling any more foreign students. However, a judge temporarily suspended that decision shortly thereafter.

Trump defends banning foreign students at Harvard

White House seeks Harvard's foreign student data, citing national security and antisemitism concerns.

www.brusselstimes.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Trump administration seeks to pull estimated $100m in Harvard funding​

The Trump administration will direct US federal agencies to review their grants to Harvard University to potentially end or redistribute funding, as part of the White House's escalating battle with America's oldest university.

The Government Services Agency (GSA) plans to circulate a letter to agencies "asking them to identify any contracts with Harvard, and whether they can be cancelled or redirected elsewhere", a senior White House official said.

The administration estimates about 30 contracts, collectively worth $100m (£74m), could be up for review.

Harvard University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On its website, the university says that its "cutting-edge medical, scientific, and technological research" has historically been "supported by the federal government" and other entities.

Touting the institution's research on cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases, and obesity, the university website warns that "without federal funding, this work will come to a halt midstream".

The White House will not revoke the funds automatically, but rather kick off a review of money Harvard receives from the federal government to determine whether that funding is critical in the eyes of the administration.

GSA will recommend each agency "terminate for convenience each contract that it determines has failed to meet its standards", and consider reallocating those funds to other entities.

A draft of the letter accuses Harvard of engaging in discrimination and antisemitism as justification for the move.

An administration official told the BBC that potential cuts would not impact hospitals affiliated with Harvard University.

And if a federal grant was deemed critical to a particular agency's functions, they said, that agency could make a case for continued funding.

The White House and Harvard have been locked in a political, legal and financial battle - the stakes of which have dramatically escalated over the past two months.

This is not the first time the administration has attempted to block Harvard's funding. In April, the White House froze $2.2bn in federal funding, prompting the university to sue.

"Why cut off research funding? Sure, it hurts Harvard, but it hurts the country because after all, the research funding is not a gift," Harvard University president Alan Garber told NPR on Tuesday morning, before news broke of the latest attempt at cuts.

"The research funding is given to universities and other research institutions to carry out work – research work – that the federal government designates as high-priority work," Mr Garber continued.

"It is work that they want done. They are paying to have that work conducted."

Last week, the Trump administration also revoked Harvard's ability to enrol international students or host foreign researchers, prompting mass confusion among thousands of impacted students.

Harvard again sued the Trump administration over that policy, alleging that it had violated the university's constitutional First Amendment rights as well as federal law.

Source: BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Foreign Students Seek To Quit Harvard Amid Trump Crackdown

Harvard University has been flooded with requests from foreign students to transfer to other institutions as US President Donald Trump's administration seeks to ban it from hosting international scholars, a staff member said Wednesday.

"Too many international students to count have inquired about the possibility of transferring to another institution," Maureen Martin, director of immigration services, wrote in a court filing.

Trump has upended the United States' reputation among foreign students, who number around one million, as he presses a campaign against US universities he sees as obstructing his "Make America Great Again" populist agenda.

He has blocked Harvard from hosting international scholars in a maneuver being challenged legally, targeted non-citizen campus activists for deportation, and most recently suspended student visa processing across the board.

The president's crackdown has prompted "profound fear, concern, and confusion" among students and staff at the elite university, which has been "inundated with questions from current international students and scholars about their status and options", Martin wrote.

More than 27 percent of Harvard's enrollment was made up of foreign students in the 2024-25 academic year, according to university data.

"Many international students and scholars are reporting significant emotional distress that is affecting their mental health and making it difficult to focus on their studies," Martin wrote in the filing.

Some were afraid to attend their graduation ceremonies this week or had canceled travel plans for fear of being refused re-entry into the United States, she added.

She said that a handful of domestic students at Harvard had also "expressed serious interest" in transferring elsewhere because they did not want to attend a university with no international students.

A judge last week suspended the government's move to block Harvard from enrolling and hosting foreign students after the Ivy League school sued, calling the action unconstitutional.

A hearing into the case was scheduled for Thursday.

At least 10 foreign students or scholars at Harvard had their visa applications refused immediately after the block on foreign students was announced, including students whose visa applications had already been approved, Martin wrote.

"My current understanding is that the visa applications that were refused or revoked following the Revocation Notice have not yet been approved or reinstated," despite a judge suspending the move, she said.

AFP

 

[BouncerGuy]

Trump suspends foreign student visas at Harvard

Donald Trump has suspended for an initial six months the entry of foreign students seeking to study or participate in exchange programmes at Harvard University.

The US president issued the proclamation on Wednesday, citing "national security" concerns and declaring it "detrimental" to US interests to continue allowing foreign students at the institution.

Harvard has responded by calling the order "retaliatory" and emphasised it would continue to protect its international students, according to Reuters news agency.

Trump's announcement is a further escalation of an ongoing legal row with one of the US's most prestigious universities after Harvard refused to yield to a series of White House demands in April.

Wednesday's order comes after a judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from banning international students at Harvard in a ruling last week.

Trump's proclamation accused Harvard of developing "extensive entanglements" with foreign countries and continuing to "flout the civil rights of its students and faculty".

"Considering these facts, I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University," he said.

The order also suspends visas for international students seeking exchange programmes and directs the secretary of state to consider revoking existing visas of students currently studying at the university.

The suspension can be extended beyond six months.

The White House said Harvard had failed to provide sufficient information to the DHS about "foreign students' known illegal or dangerous activities" and reported "deficient data on only three students".

Harvard issued a statement calling the order "yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights", Reuters reported.

The world's wealthiest university has been embroiled in a legal battle with the Trump administration after it froze billions of dollars of federal funding and accused the institution of failing to root out antisemitism on campus.

Last month, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revoked certification Harvard needed to enrol foreign students on campus, a move that was swiftly blocked by a judge.

Another federal judge upheld that decision last Thursday, saying she would issue a longer-term hold that would allow international students to continue their studies at Harvard while the legal battle plays out.

However, Wednesday's proclamation once again throws the futures of thousands of international students into limbo.

For the 2024-2025 school year, Harvard enrolled nearly 7,000 foreign students, who made up 27% of its population.

Last week, a Chinese Harvard student called for unity during the university's graduation ceremony, just days after Trump vowed to "aggressively" revoke visas for Chinese students.

In the past few months, the Trump administration has ramped up its crackdown on higher education in the US, accusing universities of failing to tackle antisemitism amid protests against the war in Gaza across campuses.

Earlier on Wednesday, the White House threatened to strip Columbia University of its accreditation over claims it violated the civil rights of its Jewish students.

BBC