Trump escalates war against Harvard by shutting down visas for international students

President Donald Trump escalated his feud with Harvard University on Thursday when he shut down visas for international students headed to the prestigious institution.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber notifying him that the university’s certification for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program was ended, “effective immediately.”

‘Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump administration will enforce the law.’

Noem had demanded the university produce evidence of “illegal and violent activities” of international students or risk losing privileges granted by the federal government. She had given them a deadline of April 30.

A month later, the DHS confirmed that “Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”

Jason Newton, a spokesperson for Harvard, told the Crimson that the action was “unlawful” and said the university was “fully committed” to continuing to admit international students.

“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” said Newton.

Noem specifically tied the visa program revocation to Harvard’s refusal to follow the administration’s request.

“This action should not surprise you and is the unfortunate result of Harvard’s failure to comply with simple reporting requirements,” said Noem in the letter.

RELATED: Harvard University lawsuit claims Trump violated free speech rights with billion-dollar funding cuts

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“Consequences must follow to send a clear signal to Harvard and all universities that want to enjoy the privilege of enrolling foreign students, that the Trump administration will enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism in society and campuses,” she added.

She gave Harvard 72 hours to comply with her demands in order to regain certification for the international student program for the next academic school year.

Harvard has about 7,000 international students, or about 27% of the entire student body, according to NPR.

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