The Trump administration is waging a battle against universities and student protests over Gaza. It has now banned foreign nationals from attending Harvard.
The United States administration of Donald Trump has launched a crusade against foreign students at Harvard University. On 22 May, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, announced the revocation of certification for foreign students and visitors, who account for approximately 27 per cent of the university's total enrolment. At risk are not only enrolments for future academic years, but also those currently under way, and pressure is being applied for Harvard's foreign students to transfer to other institutions immediately.
The Trump administration's decision is part of its crackdown on immigration and protests against Israel at universities across the country. And after Harvard, the crackdown could strike other institutions.
On 22 May 2025, the Trump administration announced the revocation of authorisation for Harvard University, near Boston, to admit international students. The university's student body is 27 per cent international, a figure that has been steadily rising. The largest nationality is Chinese, with over a thousand students, followed by Canada, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Germany. This decision has triggered an unprecedented institutional and academic crisis, with far-reaching implications for academic freedom, university policy and international relations.
The decision does not come out of nowhere. Following student protests against the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza, the administration accused Harvard University's leadership of fostering a hostile environment for Jewish students, of tolerating antisemitism and of maintaining ties with China. Harvard has consistently rejected these accusations, refusing government demands to monitor the activities of students and faculty and to hand over information on the most politically active individuals. The US government's initial response was severe: the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal funds earmarked for the university, the threat to revoke its tax-exempt status, and the consequent obligation to restructure many activities and projects due to the reduction in funding.
"Harvard University foments violence, antisemitism and coordinates with the Chinese Communist Party", charged Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, as she announced the ban on foreign students. She also gave the university a 72-hour ultimatum to regain its certification, on condition that it agreed to hand over documents relating to foreign students involved in protest activities over the past five years.
Harvard University has called the Trump administration's decision "unlawful", stressing that it undermines academic freedom and research in the United States, and pointing out that it has taken a number of measures to combat antisemitism in recent months. Earlier this year, the institution had already filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the funding freeze. Now, according to initial reports, it is preparing to file a further lawsuit against the revocation of certification for foreign students and visitors. In the meantime, panic has begun to spread among them. Several foreign students already enrolled at Harvard told the New York Times that they have come under pressure to transfer to other universities, and some are already looking into discontinuing their studies and moving abroad. The risk is that the ban will affect not only new enrolments at the university, but also those already in progress, with the suspension of study and work visas. Among the foreign students affected are also some of Israeli nationality — the very students the Trump administration claims it wants to protect.
The crusade could soon extend to other prestigious universities. This was announced by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who stressed that the decision on Harvard should be seen as a warning to other institutions such as Columbia.
