By Lucy Adautin
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a warning to Harvard University, stating it could lose authorisation to enroll international students if it does not comply with federal requirements concerning visa-related disclosures. The move signals a notable intensification of the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on American universities amid ongoing pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Wednesday the termination of two DHS grants to Harvard totalling over $2.7 million. In a letter to the university, Noem demanded documentation by 30 April regarding what she termed “illegal and violent activities” carried out by foreign students on campus.
“If Harvard cannot verify it is fully complying with its reporting obligations, it will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students,” Noem said.
A Harvard spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter and reiterated the university’s prior statement that it would adhere to the law while asserting that it “will not surrender its independence or constitutional rights.”
This action forms part of a wider clampdown by President Donald Trump’s administration on universities perceived to be associated with protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The administration has accused protestors, including international students of promoting extremist views. However, demonstrators, among them Jewish student groups, contend that their aim is to support Palestinian rights and oppose violence in Gaza, rather than to spread antisemitism.
The administration is said to have already revoked hundreds of student visas and is pursuing deportation proceedings against some foreign students involved in the demonstrations. Trump has additionally proposed stripping Harvard of its tax-exempt status. CNN reports that the IRS is currently evaluating the proposal, although Harvard contends that such action would lack legal basis and negatively impact its financial aid schemes and medical research initiatives.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has frozen $2.3 billion in federal funding allocated to Harvard and is scrutinising a further $9 billion. Other elite U.S. institutions, including Columbia, Princeton, and Cornell have also come under federal review, particularly concerning diversity and inclusion initiatives and campus activism.
Human rights advocates and critics have voiced alarm, warning that the administration’s measures present a significant threat to academic freedom and freedom of speech. They have also expressed concern over rising Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment, which they say has been exacerbated by government rhetoric during the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Harvard continues to affirm its stance against all forms of discrimination while defending its students’ rights to express dissenting views.
