Harvard University has filed its second lawsuit against the Trump administration after the government banned the university from enrolling new international students and ordered all currently enrolled students to transfer or lose their student visas.
“I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to Harvard, according to The New York Times.
“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the department added in a news release on Thursday.
How many international students were enrolled at Harvard this school year?
The institution enrolled about 6,800 international students during the 2024-25 school year, according to the university. This equals around 27% of Harvard’s student body.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, oversees the federal student visa program. It vets certifications for universities, colleges and high schools’ ability to enroll international students. It overturned Harvard’s certification on Thursday, which is a first for higher education.
“This is unprecedented,” Andrea Flores, a former DHS official under President Barack Obama, told The New York Times. “D.H.S. has never tried to reshape the student body of a university by revoking access to its vetting systems, and it is unique to target one institution over hundreds that it certifies every year.”
Harvard is now suing the Trump administration over the decision
The institution was given 72 hours to comply with a list of demands given by the Trump administration in order to overturn the decision. These demands included turning in disciplinary records for international students enrolled at Harvard over the past five years, as well as records, videos and audio of “illegal” and “dangerous or violent” activity by international students on campus, according to the BBC.
“We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action,” Harvard President Dr. Alan M. Garber wrote in a letter, according to The New York Times. It “imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.”
The university accused the government of conducting “clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.”
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,” the lawsuit reads. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Tensions between Harvard and the Trump administration have been escalating for months
This is the second lawsuit Harvard has filed against the Trump administration. In April, the institution sued the government after it froze billions of dollars in federal funding towards research.
At the time, the Trump administration also ordered the university to dismantle its DEI efforts, shut down student protests and share admission details with the government.
“No government — regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber said in April, according to The Guardian.
Garber added: “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights … The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production and dissemination of knowledge.”
Harvard’s international students are now facing an uncertain future
International students are scrambling for answers as they may need to transfer schools in order to avoid having their legal status revoked by the U.S. government.
“We might have to leave immediately but people have their lives here — apartments, leases, classes and community. These are not things you can walk away from overnight,” Jiang Fangzhou, a student from New Zealand who is studying at the Harvard Kennedy School, told the BBC.
“Think about the incoming ones, people who already turned down offers from other schools and planned their lives around Harvard. They’re totally stuck now,” he added.
Trump admin’s ban impacts Belgium’s future queen
The new rules are also affecting high-profile students, notably Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, who is the heir to the throne. This poses the question of a potential diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and other countries.
“Princess Elisabeth has just completed her first year. The impact of (the Trump administration’s) decision will only become clearer in the coming days/weeks. We are currently investigating the situation,” Lore Vandoorne, a spokesperson for the Royal Palace, said, according to Reuters.
“We are analyzing this at the moment and will let things settle. A lot can still happen in the coming days and weeks,” the Palace’s communication director Xavier Baert added.
