The Donald Trump administration has revoked the right of the elite Harvard University to accept foreign students. Those currently studying at Harvard will have to leave the university, Washington announced. Currently, 6,800 students - over a quarter of all at Harvard - are not US citizens and will suffer from this drastic move by the US government.
Why is the Trump administration taking this step?
According to the White House, foreign students will no longer have the right to study at one of the most elite universities in the US because Harvard refused to provide a "safe environment for Jewish students". According to Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem, Harvard has allowed "anti-American pro-terrorist agitators" to attack Jewish students at the university. The Department of Homeland Security also alleges that Harvard has collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party. No evidence was presented for this accusation.
Christy Noem also said that Harvard has refused to provide the president's administration with information about some of its international students. Harvard can restore its right to admit international students if it provides all the documentation the White House requests within 72 hours. This information concerns international students who have participated in protests on campus or in "dangerous activities."
How Harvard is responding
Harvard and Trump have been at odds for months, as the administration has demanded that the university make changes to its policies on student admissions, faculty appointments and administrative freedoms on campus. The White House has cited the need to "eradicate anti-Semitism on campus." and to eliminate diversity, equality, and inclusion practices that the Trump administration has labeled "racist".
However, the university's leadership argues that many of the demands, including an "audit" of the "viewpoint" of students and staff, go far beyond the role of the federal government and violate the constitutional rights of Harvard and its students. The university immediately condemned the revocation of the right to admit international students, calling it "unlawful". "We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. "This repressive action threatens to cause serious harm to the Harvard community and our country and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission," said university spokesman Jason Newton.
What will happen to international students?
Because international students cannot benefit from federal financial aid and usually pay more for their education, they contribute disproportionately to the university's revenue, explains the "New York Times". A number of international students shared with the American media their concerns that they may not even receive their degrees, even though they have officially graduated. Sarah Davis from Australia was supposed to graduate in two weeks, but now fears that her visa will be declared invalid and she will not be able to receive her master's degree.
Other international students commented to the American publication that they have already begun to look for options to transfer to other universities in Europe. Some students express confidence that the school will fight to keep them, but many feel helpless - placed in a situation with no certainty about their future. "We are being used as pawns in some game that we have no control over," Caleb Williamson, 20, from Wales, who will have to leave Harvard if the White House decision is not reversed, told the American media.