Trump Moves to Block Foreign Students at Harvard
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order that blocks nearly all foreign students from entering the country to study at Harvard University, escalating a months-long standoff with the elite institution.
The proclamation, signed Wednesday, labels Harvard an “unsuitable destination” for foreign students and claims that continuing to admit them poses a threat to U.S. national security. The move affects an international student population that makes up about 25% of Harvard’s student body.
“I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States,” Trump wrote in the order, invoking a federal law that allows the president to bar entry to foreigners deemed harmful to national interests.
The action comes just days after a federal court blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s previous attempt to restrict visas for Harvard’s international students. Trump’s latest order draws on a different legal authority, the same used during his first term to impose travel bans on several countries, including his controversial “Muslim ban.”
The order also references laws targeting individuals with links to terrorist organizations, although it provides no specific evidence tying Harvard students to such groups.
Currently, about 6,800 foreign students are enrolled at Harvard. Trump said that a final decision on whether they can keep their visas will be made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The order is valid for six months, with the possibility of renewal. A review will take place within 90 days.
Harvard condemned the move in a statement Wednesday night, calling it “illegal and retaliatory.”
“This is yet another attempt to punish Harvard for standing up for its autonomy and the rights of its students,” the university said, vowing to continue protecting its international community.
The dispute follows Harvard’s refusal to comply with certain federal demands, including turning over records related to alleged misconduct by foreign students. While Harvard insists it provided the requested documents, the administration called the university’s response inadequate.
The Trump administration has increasingly criticized Harvard as a “hotbed of liberalism,” accusing it of enabling anti-Jewish harassment and ignoring government requests for internal reforms.
Faculty, students, and members of the Harvard community have rallied in protest, holding demonstrations on campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts in defense of academic freedom and the rights of international students.
Despite mounting legal battles and national backlash, Trump’s administration appears committed to reshaping immigration policy at the intersection of education and national security—with Harvard now at the center of that effort.
