Harvard will 'not surrender' as Trump threatens foreign student ban

A Harvard spokesperson said on Wednesday that the university stood by its statement earlier in the week to "not surrender its independence," in response to Trump administration's renewed threat to restrict foreign student enrollment. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security said Harvard University will lose its ability to enroll foreign students if it does not meet demands from the Trump administration to share information on some visa holders, marking the government's latest escalation against the educational institution. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also announced on Wednesday the termination of two DHS grants totaling more than $2. 7 million to Harvard. Noem said she wrote a letter to Harvard demanding records on what she called the "illegal and violent activities" of Harvard's foreign student visa holders by April 30. "And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students," Noem said in a statement. The Harvard spokesperson said the university was aware of Noem's letter "regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas. " The spokesperson said the university stood by its statement earlier in the week to "not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights" while saying it will comply with the law. Harvard's tax-exempt status threatened The Trump administration said late last month it was reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants to Harvard and later called for restrictions – including a mask ban and removal of diversity, equity and inclusion programs – to be put in place for the university to continue receiving federal money. Harvard on Monday rejected numerous demands that it said would cede control to the government. The Trump administration subsequently said it was freezing $2. 3 billion in funding. Trump also threatened on Tuesday to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status. CNN reported on Wednesday the U. S. Internal Revenue Service was making plans to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status and that a final decision was expected soon. Harvard said there was no legal basis to rescind its tax-exempt status, saying such an unprecedented action would diminish its financial aid for students and lead to abandonment of some critical medical research programs. Human rights advocates have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the crackdown by the government. The Trump administration has similarly frozen or canceled some funding for universities like Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Cornell and Northwestern. Columbia University, which was at the heart of last year's pro-Palestinian protests, became the first institution to face consequences, losing $400 million in federal funding last month. University officials said they are currently in discussions with the administration to have the funding reinstated. Trump's crackdown U. S. President Donald Trump's administration has threatened universities with federal funding cuts over pro-Palestinian campus protests against U. S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza after a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. Trump casts the protesters as foreign policy threats who are antisemitic and sympathetic to Hamas. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration wrongly conflates their advocacy for Palestinian rights and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza with support for extremism and antisemitism. The Trump administration is also attempting to deport some foreign protesters and has revoked hundreds of visas across the country.

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