Trump suspends visas for foreign students enrolled at Harvard

WashingtonIn parallel with the ban on entry to the US for citizens of twelve countries, Donald Trump has also signed an executive order suspending visas for foreign students attending Harvard. The latest step in the clash between the Republican administration and the Ivy League universityIn the text, Trump prohibits "the entry of any foreign national" who must attend Harvard and orders the Secretary of State to review whether all foreign nationals "currently enrolled at Harvard" meet the current criteria. "Otherwise, their visas will be revoked." The Secretary of State is to submit "a recommendation on whether to apply an extension or renewal of the suspension and restriction of entry" to those who do not meet the government's ideological criteria. Trump justifies the visa ban for Harvard students by arguing that it is in the "interest of the United States." The visas that will be affected according to the order are the models. The Secretary of State has been carrying out a harassment campaign against Harvard for weeks, accusing it of allowing "anti-Semitism" on its campus in the wake of last spring's protests against the Gaza war. Furthermore, as the tension between Harvard and Trump has escalated, the government has added accusations to justify the arbitrary nature of the measure, such as accusing the institution of "facilitating and participating in activities coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including the harboring and training of members of a paramilitary group."

Last week, the State Department also announced that it would revoke visas for Chinese students. "Under President Trump's leadership, the U.S. Department of State will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in critical fields," Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a statement.

Also last week, the U.S. president suspended the school's ability to enroll international students. Within hours, the university appealed the action to the courts, which temporarily blocked it. "Denying visas is very serious and very stupid. Universities must really take a stand, because if this continues, it is jeopardizing the essence of higher education in the United States," Harvard professor Pol Antràs warned ARA in April. Curbing the arrival of foreign students to the institution is an indirect way of also attacking the university's economic capacity, since tuition and scholarships are other forms of income for educational institutions, in addition to funds, grants, and donations.

In April, the US government suspended $60 million in federal contracts at the university and froze $2.2 billion in federal funds after Harvard refused to give in to the administration's demands to influence the academic curriculum. Accusing Harvard of "anti-Semitism," Trump demanded that the institution close all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and review areas with "flagrant records of anti-Semitism." Regarding this last demand, the prestigious university was also urged to subject certain departments and programs to an external audit. Harvard did not give in to this pressure and has also taken them to court.

Harvard is the richest and oldest university in the United States and has an endowment of more than $53 billion, a kind of reserve that would allow it to withstand any cuts the Trump administration wants to implement for a long time. However, the visa ban for American students could be a severe blow.