Trump Admin Finds New Way To Target Harvard’s Foreign Students

The State Department announced on Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into Harvard University’s use of the foreign student visa program.

The agency is considering whether the Ivy League institution has violated any regulations of the Exchange Visitor Program and is questioning if the university remains an eligible sponsor for foreign students, according to a press release. The Trump administration’s previous efforts to target Harvard’s foreign students have all been blocked by a federal court.

“All sponsors participating in this program are required to fully comply with exchange visitor regulations, transparency in reporting, and a demonstrated commitment to fostering the principles of cultural exchange and mutual understanding upon which the program was founded,” the Department of State said in a brief press release. “To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States.”

“This investigation is yet another retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” a university spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Harvard continues to enroll and sponsor international scholars, researchers, and students, and will protect its international community and support them as they apply for U.S. visas and travel to campus this fall. The University is committed to continuing to comply with the applicable Exchange Visitor Program regulations.”

Both of the Trump administration’s previous efforts to revoke Harvard’s foreign students have fallen flat. In May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the school its “toxic campus climate” made it ineligible for its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification and added that the school was not permitted to enroll any new foreign students and all current international students would have to transfer elsewhere. Harvard sued shortly after and was granted relief hours later against the administration’s actions.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in June to block foreign students from entering the university, before being blocked by the same judge as an extension of the initial order. It was extended from a temporary restraining order to a preliminary injunction later in June.

The administration has been set on bringing Harvard down ever since it vowed not to comply with the administration’s demands to combat antisemitism on campus. The university insisted it would handle the issue on its own and said it would not relinquish academic freedom and free speech rights to the federal government.

Along with targeting its foreign students, the Trump administration has also revoked more than $2 billion in federal grants from the university, which it is currently justifying in court after Harvard once again sued the administration. Harvard’s accreditation also remains in limbo.

Anti-Israel demonstrations at Harvard consisted of disrupting classes, occupying a campus building and setting up a multi-day encampment. A September congressional investigation found “Harvard failed” to punish a majority of those involved in the protests, and a more recent investigation conducted by the university itself revealed that more than a quarter of Jewish students felt “physically unsafe” on campus and “Almost 60% of Jewish students reported experiencing ‘discrimination, stereotyping, or negative bias.’”

“The American people have the right to expect their universities to uphold national security, comply with the law, and provide safe environments for all students,” the department’s statement continued. “The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests.”