Trump Admin Signals Willingness To Work With Harvard Over Foreign Students

The Trump administration has stated a willingness to “meet and confer” and consider “counterproposals” from Harvard in the battle over the university’s foreign students.

Harvard sued the administration in May after it attempted to block the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students. With Harvard already earning an injunction against the order, the Trump administration is now signaling a willingness to settle with the university by agreeing not to enforce its revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, according to a Wednesday court filing.

“Defendants proposed this stipulation to Plaintiff in an attempt to jointly simplify the case,” the court filing reads. “Defendants also made clear that they were open to counterproposals and a meet and confer. Plaintiff did not accept.”

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in May notified Harvard its SEVP certification has been revoked, preventing the school from enrolling new foreign students and demanding all foreign students currently enrolled at the school transfer elsewhere, citing a “toxic campus climate.” Harvard promptly sued and earned a restraining order against the action, but President Donald Trump attempted to enforce the ban through an executive order, which was subsequently blocked again.

In July, the State Department announced it had opened an investigation into Harvard’s use of the Exchange Visitor Program.

Earlier reports in July suggested Harvard may be willing to settle with the administration, but Harvard president Alan Garber reportedly denied these claims, stating instead that the university plans to defeat the administration in court. Along with the case challenging the administration’s revocation of foreign students, Harvard is also challenging Trump’s funding cuts to the university.

The federal government has so far revoked nearly $3 billion in grants to the university and aimed at its accreditation. Harvard is accused of failing to properly address antisemitism, engaging in illegal racial discrimination and failing to fully disclose its foreign funding sources. The university is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after it vowed not to comply with the administration.

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