The homeland safety secretary posted the announcement on social media platform X.
The Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) has revoked certification of Harvard College’s overseas pupil admissions program, Secretary Kristi Noem introduced on social media platform X on Might 22.
The choice prohibits Harvard from enrolling worldwide college students by way of its Scholar and Trade Customer Program.
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese language Communist Get together on its campus,” Noem wrote.
“It’s a privilege, not a proper, for universities to enroll overseas college students and profit from their increased tuition funds to assist pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had loads of alternatives to do the precise factor. It refused. They’ve misplaced their Scholar and Trade Customer Program certification on account of their failure to stick to the legislation.”
Noem’s Might 22 assertion mentioned a mixture of infractions by Harvard, together with collaborating with the Chinese language Communist Get together (CCP) and fostering an environment of “pro-terrorist conduct from college students on its campus,” led to this motion.
The revocation additionally implies that current overseas college students should switch to a different college or lose their authorized standing, the assertion mentioned.
“Harvard’s management has created an unsafe campus surroundings by allowing anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and bodily assault people, together with many Jewish college students, and in any other case hinder its once-venerable studying surroundings,” the assertion learn.
“Many of those agitators are overseas college students. Harvard’s management additional facilitated, and engaged in coordinated exercise with the CCP, together with internet hosting and coaching members of a CCP paramilitary group complicit within the Uyghur genocide.”
Harvard College referred to as the federal authorities’s motion on this matter illegal.
“We’re absolutely dedicated to sustaining Harvard’s potential to host our worldwide college students and students, who hail from greater than 140 international locations and enrich the College—and this nation—immeasurably,” Harvard College spokesman Jason Newton mentioned in an electronic mail to The Epoch Instances.
“We’re working shortly to offer steering and help to members of our neighborhood. This retaliatory motion threatens critical hurt to the Harvard neighborhood and our nation, and undermines Harvard’s tutorial and analysis mission.”
The DHS terminated $2.7 million in grants to Harvard in April. Noem mentioned college directors refused to conform along with her April 16 calls for requesting details about “criminality and misconduct” of overseas college students on its campus.
The struggle between the federal authorities and Harvard started earlier in 2025 after President Donald Trump issued govt orders—citing the 1964 Civil Rights Act—prohibiting campus anti-Semitism and variety, fairness, and inclusion (DEI) practices in hiring, worker coaching, pupil admissions, and instruction.
Harvard President Alan Garber introduced that he wouldn’t comply, prompting the Trump administration to freeze greater than $2.2 billion in grants and contracts.
Harvard then filed a federal lawsuit in search of to unfreeze the cash and deem the federal authorities’s actions unconstitutional. Trump responded by threatening to revoke the college’s tax-exempt standing, and Schooling Secretary Linda McMahon introduced that Harvard wouldn’t obtain future federal grants until the varsity modified its administration.
Noem’s involvement has escalated this battle to a brand new degree, and the Trump administration is now publicizing examples of the varsity’s alleged DEI practices, anti-Semitism, and collaboration with the CCP.
“Harvard researchers collaborated with China-based lecturers on tasks funded by an Iranian authorities agent and partnered with Chinese language universities tied to navy developments, together with aerospace and optics analysis, utilizing U.S. Division of Protection funds,” Noem’s Might 22 assertion reads.
“Harvard partnered with people linked to China’s defense-industrial base, together with conducting robotics analysis with navy functions.”
Harvard has ample help from the upper schooling neighborhood. Greater than 600 school and college leaders have signed letters supporting its litigation in opposition to the Trump administration.
Steven Pinker, Harvard psychology professor, supplied perception on this struggle from a tenured school member’s perspective. He accused the Trump administration of taking an authoritarian method, however he additionally mentioned the argument of ending DEI practices to make sure equity for all has advantage.
Whereas Pinker disagrees with Trump’s try to mandate “viewpoint variety” on campuses, he mentioned he does suppose that Harvard would profit by having extra politically conservative professors within the political science and social science departments, which might additionally assist promote extra thorough peer evaluation efforts and high quality management in analysis.
“Ideology is like breath,” he mentioned throughout a Might 21 discuss with Heterodox Academy. “You by no means scent your individual.”
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