US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued an executive order barring nearly all foreign students from entering the United States to attend the prestigious Ivy League institution. The move forms part of the White House’s wider campaign against the university, which counts international students as one quarter of its student body.
Trump declared Harvard "an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers" in the order, citing national security concerns. “I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” he stated.
This directive follows a Boston federal court’s recent injunction blocking the Department of Homeland Security’s attempt to ban international students at Harvard, but Trump’s order is based on broader presidential authority. It invokes a federal statute granting the president power to prohibit entry to foreigners whose admission is deemed “detrimental to the interests of the United States.” The order also cites laws banning entry to individuals connected to terrorist groups.
Harvard promptly condemned the executive order, pledging to "continue to protect its international students." In a statement on Wednesday evening, university officials called it “yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights.”
The dispute centres on Harvard’s refusal to comply with government demands for detailed disciplinary records of foreign students, following allegations that the university has not adequately policed misconduct. While Harvard asserts it has provided the requested information, the Department of Homeland Security deemed the response insufficient.
Tensions have been mounting for months as the Trump administration accuses Harvard of fostering liberalism and tolerating anti-Semitic harassment, demanding policy changes the university insists threaten its autonomy and academic freedom.
Federal pressure on Harvard has intensified, with the administration cutting over $2.6 billion in research grants and moving to terminate all federal contracts with the university. The new order threatens some 7,000 international students at Harvard, who comprise half the enrolment in several graduate programmes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the move on X, stating: “Admission to the United States to study at an elite American university is a privilege, not a right. This Department of Justice will vigorously defend the President's proclamation suspending the entry of new foreign students at Harvard University based on national security concerns.”
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Conversely, Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) condemned the order as “ridiculous” and insisted it bore no relation to national security. “It's a thinly veiled revenge ploy in Trump's personal feud with Harvard, and continued authoritarian overreach against free speech,” she tweeted.
The ban applies to all foreign students seeking to enter the US to study at Harvard following the order’s enactment but allows exemptions if their admission “would benefit the national interest,” as determined by federal officials.
Trump’s order accuses Harvard of reporting disciplinary data on merely three students, lacking sufficient detail to assess federal action. The order asserts: “Harvard is either not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students. These actions and failures directly undermine the Federal Government's ability to ensure that foreign nationals admitted on student or exchange visitor visas remain in compliance with Federal law.”
For foreign students already enrolled, visa revocations will be at the discretion of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the order adds. The ban is set to last six months, with a review planned within 90 days to decide on possible extension.
Separately, a recent State Department cable instructed US embassies and consulates to scrutinise visa applicants’ social media accounts for signs of anti-Semitism, specifically those planning to attend or visit Harvard.
In court filings last week, Harvard officials described the administration’s actions as creating an atmosphere of “profound fear, concern, and confusion.” Maureen Martin, Harvard’s immigration services director, noted numerous international students have inquired about transferring elsewhere amid the uncertainty.
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