Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that Harvard University may no longer enroll international students on account of its tolerance and promotion of antisemitism and so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI).
She explained in a letter to Maureen Martin, the school’s director of immigration services, that she’s revoking the school’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which allows foreigners to study at the university under a certain visa.
“As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide [DHS] pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege,” she wrote.
The “pertinent information” was a reference to the conduct records of Harvard’s foreign students. Last month DHS requested access to the documents, but Harvard refused to comply.
This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.
It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments… pic.twitter.com/12hJWd1J86
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 22, 2025
In a statement, Noem said that this move ought to serve “as a warning to all universities” that want to dabble in hate.
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” she said. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. ”
“Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their 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 added.
Speaking with ABC News, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stressed that Harvard is facing the “consequences of their actions.”
“Harvard has turned their once-great institution into a hotbed of anti-American, antisemitic, pro-terrorist agitators,” she continued. “They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions. Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.”
Harvard is not taking this well:
Harvard statement reacting to Trump admin halting Harvard’s ability to enroll international students: “The government’s action is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars”
— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 22, 2025
The school even issued a memo to its international students urging them to sit back and wait for more information.
Democrats and their media allies are also not taking this well, with CNN and other establishment networks going so far as to portray the Trump administration’s move as “authoritarian.”
Former Clinton-era Treasury Secretary Larry Summers complained to CNN that the administration’s latest round of “attacks” come “without due process, without any indication of what specifically the problem is.”
But this move by the Trump administration Department of Homeland Security (DHS) means, in more specific terms, that the school may no longer accept “aliens on F- or J- nonimmigrant status.”
Similarly, all “existing aliens on F- or J- nonimmigrant status must transfer to another university in order to maintain their nonimmigrant status,” as explained by Noem in her letter.
The move marks the epoch in what has been a months-long battle between the university and the Trump administration, the latter of which has sought to root out the blatant antisemitism and DEI at Harvard.
Kristi Noem says it’s a privilege, not a right for American schools to host foreigners on their campuses:
“Harvard brought these consequences upon themselves. They have promoted and allowed violent activity on campus. They have allowed antisemitism participation with CCP and… pic.twitter.com/NKfncBrvJe
— Julia (@Jules31415) May 23, 2025
The antisemitism in particular reached a fevered pitch after the Oct. 7th terror attack in Israel, with pro-Hamas antisemites at one point replacing the school’s American flag with a Palestinian flag and harassing Jewish students.
Case in point:
SHOCKING. PLEASE SHARE: Tonight, Harvard students yelled “Zionists are not welcomed here” outside the Harvard Hillel as Jewish students were entering. It’s simply shocking how normalized antisemitism and intimidation has become on college campuses. DEFUND HARVARD NOW! pic.twitter.com/nDaSPMOFtV
— Shabbos Kestenbaum (@ShabbosK) November 19, 2024
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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